She Was Always There
by Cherry Dragon Blossom
Summary: I was war. She was peace. I was disaster. She was beauty. I was sorrow. She was happiness. I was death. She was life. She was my salvation. I was her destruction. Sakura H. & Kakashi H. KakaSaku
1. Chapter 1

"5…6…7…8" Sakura mentally counted as she began her compressions. Her hands were beginning to turn a deadly shade of red and she was becoming conflicted on what she need to be doing. His heart had stopped, she needed to continue the compressions in order to pump the blood through his veins, but with every compression she performed more of his chrisom blood drip from a gash on his side. "26…27…28…29…30" Once she hit her mark she quickly leaned down, tipping his head back while pinching his nose, her warm lips meet his cold ones and a new sense of panic was quickly developing in her gut. The medic in her knew just how bad this was, his heart no longer working, if not for the steady push of her hands, he would have already perished. But damnit that wasn't an option! She had already lost to many, she couldn't lose him to. Her hands glowed a brighter green, trying to repair the damage cells from the contact on his chest.

"Sakura is he-" Naruto left his thought unfinished, unable to bring himself to ask if he was dead. The blonde hair shinobi fought back tears as he saw the grass bleed to red. He felt so helpless. He had been to late, and now all he could do was step back and protect Sakura as she fought like hell to save him.

"Naruto, I need you to reach into my back pouch and pull out my pills containers. I need one red and one blue pill!" Sakura order but Naruto was still frozen in place. It should have been him, that was the only thought that was processing. "Naruto!" Sakura called to him, and he snapped his attention from his face to hers. "I can't stop what I am doing, I need your help." She almost begged.

Naruto quickly knelt down next to her, his hand slipping into her back pocket to receive the pills. He opened the container and looked at Sakura for instruction. "Break each pill in half and place them in his mouth. One is a solider pill and the other is a blood pill." The pills were quickly broken and poured into his mouth. Naruto watched as sweat ran down her face and he could feel her charka level rise and fall dramatically.

Sakura bent down once more and blew life into his mouth, as she tried to fight back tears. This mission had been fucked up since the start. The client had lied about the dangers, and now her team, her family was paying for it. Naruto was covered in cuts, and it was getting harder to ignore the deep cut on her back. She hadn't seen their other teammate in the last twenty minutes, and while she could hear the sounds of battle a couple miles from her, she couldn't look away from the broken body that laid in front of her.

A loud explosion goes off and Naruto cruses under his breath as he sees the black smoke rising in the distance. He didn't want to leave Sakura, but he couldn't leave his other friend to fight the enemy all alone.

"Go" her command catches him off guard, "he needs your help more than I do, the pills should be kicking in any second now."

"But Sakura what if-"

"GO!" He didn't have to be told twice, he was already rushing toward his best friend. They had over estimated their enemy, and they couldn't risk one member taking on the entire enemy squad. _"How did we allow this to happen?"_ Naruto questioned as he ran into the clearing, Kunai and senbon littered the forest floor and some of the trees in the surrounding areas were catch on fire.

"Dobe," Sasuke called out as he landed next to Naruto, each boy turning their backs to one another. "Sakura okay?" It had all happened to fast, he hadn't been able to stop it. One minute they were walking down the road about to drop of their client when all of a sudden, he pulled a weapon on Naruto, if he had been one second slower it would have hit the jugular and it would have all been over. Form that moment on it had been absolute chaos. Everyone taking hits left and right, while Sakura tried to jump between the three men to heal as much as she could as fast as she could.

"Fine, but we need to end this as soon as possible" Sasuke nodded in response and the two boys switched their focus to the twenty men in front of them.

* * *

"27…28…29" Sakura had given up counting in her head. The rhyme was becoming harder and harder to perform as her chakra drained from her body. The progress was to slow, at this rate it wouldn't do any good. With Naruto gone she was on her own, there was no telling when they would be back, and she could feel the enemy making their way closer to her. Having no choice, she quickly bit her thumb and began weaving hand signs. A clone appeared across from her, already working on healing the gash on the side, while the real Sakura continued compressions.

When she noticed the wound was beginning to heal, a small sigh escaped her lips. It was progress and while she had never attempted this type of healing technique before, she was willing to give anything a try. She paused in her movements to lower her ear to his chest, and the feeling of relief washed over as she heard a faint heartbeat. He wasn't out of the woods yet, but it was a good sign.

" _Just in time it seems."_ Sakura took a breath and centered self. "Come out, there is no point in hiding."

"Beautiful and strong, what a deadly combination" their so-called client hissed as he walked out of the tree lines. "Through I have to admit I'm glad your alive, it would have been a pity if one of my men had gotten to you before I did."

Sakura didn't like that one bit. She had a bad feeling about the guy since they meet in her master's office. The 33-year-old had taken special interest in her and hadn't become happy the night before when she threatened to cut off a very important body part, if he had not stopped touching her. Sakura continued with her compressions as the man started to circle her.

"What a shame, through he did seem a little old to still be playing ninja." He laughed, and Sakura had to bite her tongue to keep from pointing out that he was in fact older than her fallen teammate. But Sakura knew better, and it was better to keep the man talking than it was to have to engage in battle. "Why are you even trying, he was killed the minute the blade sliced his skin?"

"Why's that?" Sakura tried to humor him, the hard part was almost done, he was almost safe, she just needed a little more time.

"The poison might be slow acting at first, but once it reaches the heart it is quickly spreads throughout the body. There is nothing you can do for him girl." At this Sakura started laughing. Had this idiot not done any research on her team? They were the famous Team 7, surely, he knew about the last Uchiha, demon-fox and miniature Tsunade. The poison had been one of the first things Sakura had detected when she started healing Sasuke. It was a simple poison, that was deadly if not treated right away, but luckily for the boys Sakura knew poisons like the back of her hand and created a solution within minutes.

The man's face darkened, obviously not liking being the butt of the joke. He gripped his sword tighter and spread his stance. "What do you want form us? Why attack us?" Sakura asked once she was done blowing another breath into her comrade.

"That's none of your concern. Now you have two choice, either come with me or die." Sakura could only stare at the man in front of her and think what the hell was this guy on. When the mission was first requested everyone thought this man was a close friend of one of the lords in some small village between Fire and Sand. He had request protection because he claimed he was carrying classified documents that could devastate the small village's trade routes if they fell into the wrong hands. He was even willing to pay double the price if he was given one of the better, and since Team 7 hadn't been given a mission in a while, Tsunade had assigned them this one in an attempt to shut Naruto up. On some level Sakura was thankful they had been given this mission because if a Genin team had been assigned they would have likely been killed along with their team leader. Though as she looked down at his bloody face, she was really wishing they were all back within the safety of the village walls.

When her eyes fell back of their "client" she tried to scan her memories of the Bingo Books. He was about 6" 4', 230 pounds, long arms and tone legs. His eyes were a honey color and his hair a very dirty shade of blonde. His clothes gave no clue as to who he was. He wore no headband and apparently had torn of his traditional robes, and now stood wearing black pants and long-sleeves. Everything about him now screamed threat and Sakura was mentally beating herself up for not noticing the danger sooner.

Sakura blew another breath into her team lead, never once taking her eyes off the enemy. Sasuke and Naruto were nowhere near, and there was no guaranteed that their battle would be over any time soon. "What will happen if I come with you?" She continued her compressions, feeling his heart rate growing stronger and stronger. She only had to stall a few more minutes then this piece of shit would get her full attention.

"You caught my boss's eye. Our job is to turn you over to him." He took a step forward his smirk growing. "But he never said I couldn't have a little fun with you before we give you to him." His eyes drifted down to her covered chest and Sakura had to fight the urge to attack first.

Sakura's hands slowly stopped glowing green and she stood. She could feel her blood run down her back, but she had already cut the nerves around the gash, it wouldn't get in the way of her flighting. Oh, how she wanted nothing more than for her fists to connect with his face. Her clone was still working on her comrade, and now that his gash was closed, she could focus on his chest. Sakura took a few steps closer to their client, while her charka was dangerously low, she wasn't going to let him touch her teammate and her chakra flared as she got ready to attack.

"I'd like to see you try" she shot back and then she attacked…

* * *

"Granny I think he is finally waking up!" A voice shouted in the darkness.

The sound of heels hitting the tile echoed in the small hospital room as Tsunade made her way over to the bed. If he was finally waking up, she didn't have to be worried any longer. The past four days had been very difficult not only for her, but for the remaining members of team 7 as well. Naruto was tapping his foot against the floor, trying to fight back the urge to approach her patient and wake him up. Her hands glowed a bright green and began scanning his head. His eyes flickered open for a split second before they closed again.

Pain. Pain was the only thing he felt as he began to regain his consciousness. He tried to move his hands but found himself unable to. The fuzziness in his head was starting to clear and he started to hear noises around him. The sound of beeping was the first thing he recognized, the second was the smell of bleach and disinfect. What happened? He didn't understand where he was or how he got here. The last thing he remember was fighting in the woods, but the woods didn't sound like this, smell like this.

A sense of panic washed over him and he fought to open his eyes. Slowly his eye lids opened, and while pain caused his colored eye to close, his other remained open. Tsunade flashed him a warm smile as she helped him move into an up position.

"How long?" He asked, through it came out ruff and quiet.

"Four days." Tsunade answered as she held a cup of waters to him and pulled down his mask, so he could drink. Her back blocked Naruto's view but he didn't try to sneak a peek. It took all his will power to remain seated, he had so many questions he wanted to ask. He wanted to understand what the hell had happened.

He downed the entire contexts of the cup before he tried to speak again, but even now his head wasn't understanding everything. "What happened?" He somehow managed to ask.

"You don't remember what happened?" Tsunade asked with confusion. She was hoping Kakashi was going to be able to explain exactly how her number one jounin and number one student ended up in the state they were in. She took his silence as his answer, "what's the last thing you remember?"

"Dropping off a client and then a flight breaking out." Kakashi sat up a little further and glanced all around the room. Members of his team were missing, and if he was in the hospital where were the others?

Tsunade must have been able to read the slight panic in his eyes because she chuckled. "Relax. Sai and Yamato returned from their mission this morning, and Sasuke is with Sakura." Kakashi took a deep breath at the realization that his team was at least safe within the village walls. His eyes locked on Naruto and found that he was uninjured.

"You don't remember what happened to Sakura-chan?" Naruto questioned, as he got up from his chair and moved closer to the bed.

"What happened? Where is she?" Kakashi snapped. He tried to recall what had happened, but all he could remember was a sharp pain in his chest, and a warm feeling on his lips.

Before Naruto could even attempt to explain what had happened shouting could be heard in the hall.

"Get the hell out of my way" the voice was aggressive by not loud. Naruto shot out of his chair and went to the door.

"Please you should be in bed resting!" The nurse cried.

"Move out of my way, I am fine!" The voice got louder and Kakashi finally understood who was throwing a Tsunade size fit. The heart monitor grew a little louder as his heartrate increased. "Thank goodness"

The hospital door was thrown open and Sakura all but stumbled inside, leaning against the door frame for support. Sasuke stood behind her, a pissed off look on her face, but ready to catch her regardless. Naruto moved to her aside and tried to put his hands on her waist to support her, but she quickly smacked his hands away from her.

Everyone's focus was on Sakura, but the only thing she was focused on was Kakashi. Slowly she let go of the door frame and walked toward the bed. Both boys followed, but neither tried to stop her from her objective. They both understood what had happened on that battle field. Both understood what she was feeling at the movement.

The nurse inside Tsunade wanted to scream at Sakura to sit down, to make her stop any movement. She had taken so much damage, and the fact she was up and walking around meant she could damage her body even further. But she remained silent and stepped aside to give Sakura room, knowing her student well enough to know no words were going to stop her.

Kakashi hadn't realized that he was not breathing until his lungs screamed out for him to take a breath. Once Sakura walked in bits and pieces flashed quickly before his eyes and while he didn't remember anything, he remembered enough to know he shouldn't be alive right now. Before Kakashi could even begin to start to lecture Sakura for her actions, he is smacked hard across the face.

"Sakura!" Tsunade shouted and moved to catch her arm but halted in her movements when she saw Sakura shake.

"You bastard!" Sakura screamed but made no move to hit him again. "How could you just give up like that?! How could you put that on me! Do you honestly think so little of me, that you thought I would have followed your order!" Sakura's body trembled with every word, and while tears gathered in the corner of her eyes she refused to let them spill.

"Sakura I-"Kakashi tried to explain, even though he didn't completely understand. But his mind was still moving too slowly. He was just now recognizing that something was different about Sakura. She had something that she didn't before.

"I don't want to hear it!" Her cold eyes shifted from Kakashi to Tsunade. "Is he in any further danger?"

"The only threat on his life at the moment is you."

Sakura nodded and turned her back on Kakashi. "Then I leave him to you, my work is done." Sakura didn't even stop to see if Sasuke was following her when she left the move. Just as quickly as she had come into the room she was gone, leaving Kakashi at the wrath of two young men who looked ready to slit his throat.

* * *

Sakura barely made it back to her room before the tears started falling. _How could he think I would follow that order?_ Sakura looked down at her hands shaking and muttered a cruse under her breath. Kakashi had been the one to teach her that those who abandon their friends are worse than scum. How could he expect her to abandon him? Regardless of how hopeless it seemed, did he really think she would give up on him before she even was given a chance to try and save him?

"Fucking moron." She balled her fists and shock her head trying to stop the tears. She took a deep breath and counted to three and by the time she exhaled she had control over her emotions again. She looked around the hospital room and noticed someone had been nice enough to bring her a change of clothes. Very carefully she stood from her hospital bed and made her way over to the clothes. Each step she took sent waves of pain up her right leg and she knew that her leg had been fractured. She slowly removed her hospital gown and with every second she was becoming more and more aware of her injuries.

When she had woken up her only thought had been to make it to Kakashi. Her only focus had been making sure he was okay, but now that her adrenalin was coming down and her morphine wearing off, she was starting to feel the side effects of her battle. The headache brought on from charka exhaustion was causing her head to throb and while she could tell the gash on her back had been treated it also meant that the nurses had reconnected the nerves.

She was still dressing when the door opened and Sasuke walked inside. His eyes widened slightly, clearly not have expecting walking in on Sakura undressed. She had her shorts on but was struggling with zipping her shirt.

"Would you mind zipping me?" Sakura hadn't bothered to turn to look at him. She hated showing any sign of weakness and the fact she couldn't do something as simple as put a shirt on was pissing her off more than she would like to admit.

"Hn," was his only response as he walked closer to zip the shirt. His chakra flaring when he noticed that her back was ugly colors of black, blue and yellow. A white banged had been applied over her left shoulder blade to the middle of her back and her right leg had a black brace around it. Their "client" was very lucky Sakura had already killed him because if he had lived Sasuke would have killed him slowly for what he did to her.

"I'm okay Sasuke. It looks worse than it feels." She tried to assure, feeling the killing intent rolling of off him in waves.

"What are you doing?"

"Leaving." She turned to look at him in the eyes. "Care to come with me." She smiled and that was all she had to say before Sasuke stepped forward, placing his arm around her back and flickered them out of the hospital.

* * *

Tsunade's chakra slowly healed the damage down to Kakashi's check. After the Uchiha glared at their team lead for several minutes he left to go after Sakura. If Tsunade knew her student was well as she thought she did, Sakura would be getting ready to leave the hospital any moment. A slight chuckle left her lips as she felt Sakura's and Sasuke's charka signature disappear from the room a couple yards away. Her apprentice might love working in the hospital, but she couldn't stand to be on the other end of it. She made a mental note to send Ino later to check on Sakura, but for now she would give her the space she wanted. The Uchiha wouldn't let anything happened to her, she was safe for now.

"How hurt is she?" Kakashi asked once Tsunade was done. Naruto had sat back down in his previous seat, but he was refusing to make eye contact with his sensei.

"Pretty bad. Her right leg has a tibial shaft and fibula fracture. She already went through one surgery to repair some of the damage, but she'll be on crutches for a week or two while it finishes healing."

"English Granny." Naruto crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back further into the chair.

"The tibia is the largest bone in your lower leg. It is reasonable for supporting most of your weight on that leg. The fibula is the other main bone in your leg and it is a very painful break." Tsunade explained slowly hoping she wouldn't have to explain herself twice. Naruto remained silence, so she assumed he understood. "She also suffered charka exhaustion and has charka burns on both hands. A couple of ribs are broken but luckily none punctured her lungs or kidneys. She also had a gash on her back that required 27 stitches, that will be sensitive for a couple days. She'll be in some pain and be comfortable for a couple weeks, but everything is expected to heal properly."

The two boys remained silent for a long time. Naruto has still beating himself up over the fact that he left her to defend herself and Kakashi by herself, while Kakashi couldn't believe she had been able to walk into his hospital room. She looked so upset. But he couldn't blame her. He had asked her to do something that went against every fiber of her being, and he hadn't trusted her abilities. _No that's not true. I trusted her…I just didn't think my life was worthy enough to risk her's._

"Tsunade" Kakashi spoke after several long minutes passed in silence. "Why is she still injured if she awakened her yin seal?" The purple diamond hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Because she gave you all her charka." And with that Tsunade walked out of the room allowing her words to sink into the Great Copycat Ninja.


	2. Chapter 2

" _Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto screamed as he is pushed backwards. Blood splatters on his face as he hits the ground. "NOOO!" He screams become louder as Kakashi falls to his knees, sword still sticking through his jounin jacket._

 _Sakura turns and watches Kakashi fall in slow motion. Her eyes automatically landing on the chest wound. "Damnit" she cursed as her foot connects with one of the enemy's chest, sending him flying backwards several feet. The medic within her is already working on how to fix her fallen comrade but she is too far away. As long as Naruto doesn't pull the sword out it should be alright. And as if the forging shinobi could read her mind, he is standing over Kakashi pulling out his weapon._

 _As soon as the sword leaves his body, Sakura can smell the secant of blood fill the air and her stomach twists into a pain knot. Naruto was quick to get back on his feet, a rasengan in hand, making the enemy ninja retreat. Naruto takes after the ninja, hoping to eliminate the threat, leaving Kakashi unmoving on the ground._

 _Sakura pushes charka to her legs and tries to close the mile-long distance as fast as possible. They had all separated twenty minutes ago after the first explosion went off, and Sakura was forced to spilt off with Sasuke in order to heal his dislocated shoulder. She sends a quick look over her shoulder at Sasuke and they lock eyes. She can see the slight panic in his eyes but he nodes back at her, signaling he was alright, and that was all Sakura needed to shift all her attention on Kakashi and on anyone intent on getting in her way._

 _To Sakura it feels like hours has passed before she makes it to Kakashi's side, but in reality, it was only a few minutes. But everything is moving in slow motion. Sakura is barely hearing the sound of battle around her, all she is focused on is Kakashi and the rise and fall of his chest. Without having to think, having already done it a million times before on dozens of patients, she is ripping his vest open. His dark navy-blue shirt is already becoming a dark red._

 _Her hands quickly scan his chest searching for the damage and when she finds the problem she feels as if the wind has been knocked out of her. Somehow the sword nicked his coronary artery and if she didn't act fast, he was going to bleed to death._

 _Sakura's hands glow a brighter green as she pumps as much healing charka as quick as she can. She can fill the drain of her chakra slipping out at such a quick rate, but she doesn't care. This is Kakashi-sensei! Sakura had always thought of Kakashi as such a big strong unmovable force, that she forgot he was still very much human, which meant any mission could be his last. But she wasn't prepared to lose him, not when she just got all her family back._

 _She could feel her body shacking after a few minutes, but she ignored it. The artery was almost closed when she felt a hot burning sensation in her back right before she was paralleled forward, her hands slipping of Kakashi._

 _She hit the ground hard, a cruse slipping out before she is rolling onto her knees. In the corner of her eye she can see the cause of her relocation. Sakura had been so focused on Kakashi she hadn't sensed the enemy ninja coming behind her. Before she could even get to her feet to fight back Sasuke is behind the man, shoving a chidori through his chest, killing him instantly._

" _You alright?" Sasuke asks as he flickers to her side, helping her stand._

 _Sakura reflexes her back and knows that the damage is bad. The sword cuts deep and the poison was already trying to fight her body. But she has no time to heal it, so she just nodes and runs back toward Kakashi. "I need you to watch my back. I can't focus on healing Kakashi and fighting at the same time." She states, not elaborating how bad Kakashi really is. She knew if she stopped healing there would be no hope._

 _Sasuke steps in front of her, sword in had and she refocus on Kakashi. The bleeding was slowly stopping but she could do nothing for the blood lose out in the flied. They needed to get to the Leaf, Kakashi needed a hospital, there was only so much Sakura could do in the flied. She wasn't God damnit!_

 _Kakashi slowly opens his eyes and automatically he can tell something is wrong. It felt as if he was drowning and it was becoming harder and harder to breath. He tries to sit up but find himself unable to move. He tries to take in his surroundings, but his mind is jumbled, the only thing that is registering is the color pink to the left of him._

 _Pink? "Sakura?" He calls out confused as to why his voice is so quiet._

" _Sensei!" She jumps a little startled. She had been so focused on his chest she missed the moment he opened his eyes. "Its alright Kakashi. I'm with you…you're going to be okay." She meant for her voice to come out strong and reassuring, but she doesn't have it within her, she was already struggling trying to repair the artery, close the wound, and keep his blood pumping normally._

" _Sasuke!" Naruto yells and both Sakura and Sasuke whip their heads in his direction. Naruto was surrounded by thirty guys and was struggling to keep up. His face showed a few cuts here and there, and while the nine-tail fox protected Naruto from any poison, it still took time to neutralize it, and Naruto was slowing down as his body fought against it._

" _Go he needs you" Sakura says as she looks back down at Kakashi. This isn't good, was all she could think. They were in the middle of nowhere with no backup coming because no one knew that they were in trouble. And while it was true Sakura was one of the best combat medics Konoha had to offer, she was still just one person and how the hell was she supposed to heal three teammates at once while still fighting._

" _What about you?" Sasuke asked torn. Naruto needed help, but he knew Sakura couldn't heal and fight at the same time. And while she hadn't said how bad it was, Kakashi's injury hadn't gone unnoticed by the sharingan and he see just how much charka Sakura was pumping into him._

" _Go I'll be alright."_

" _You better be" Sasuke whispers before running off to protect his best friend._

" _Stop Sakura" Kakashi pleaded as he tried to raise his hand to catch hers. "There is no point."_

" _What do you mean there is no point?" Sakura askes bitterly. "I'm not going to let you die Kaka-sensei."_

" _Go protect the boys, I'll be fine."_

 _Sakura stared at his team leader for a moment completely catch off guard. "If I stop now, you'll die. So, stop talking and let me focus." She pushed more charka into his chest, his artery finally closing._

" _Sakura stop" Kakashi whispered. "It's okay. Go."_

" _I'm not leaving you!" Sakura didn't understand what was going on. How did this mission get so fucked up so fast? Her version was starting to blur, and she couldn't tell if it was from the charka drain or the tears forming in her eyes. "You'll be okay sensei. I'm almost done just hold on a little longer."_

 _ **BOOM!**_

 _A paper bomb goes off a few feet behind them and Sakura leans across Kakashi hoping to shield him as much as possible from the blast. She can feel something hit her head, and blood begins running down her face from a cut on her forehead. Her head begins spinning even more, and somewhere deep in her mind she notes she's probably developed a concussion._

 _As the smoke begins to clear Kakashi can see how bad their situation truly was. Sakura has to get out of here or else she risked losing her life and he couldn't let that happen. He had lost to many already, he refused to lose someone so special because of him. "Sakura I am ordering you to leave me." He tried to bark at her, but her eyes refused to meet his._

" _If you think I would leave one of my precious people behind you don't know me at all Kakashi."_

 _But Kakashi wasn't having it. If she wouldn't leave on her own, he would make her leave. With the last charka he had, he activated his sharingan and slowly reached up and grabbed Sakura's chin making her turn and lock eyes with him._

 _Sakura noticed a moment to late what he was trying to do and before she could stop him, she saw red._

* * *

"NOOOOOOO!" I screamed as I sat up, my eyes bounced around me trying to understand what was happening. I could feel the sweat roll down my forehead as I quickly stood, reaching for my weapons pouch only to discover it was missing.

"Sakura clam down" a voice called out in the dark room. "You're alright." The figure stood and turned on the light. I hissed at the sudden light but after my eyes adjusted, I noticed I was back in my bedroom. I locked eyes with Sasuke and it all started coming back to me. The mission, the hospital room, Sasuke refusing to leave my apartment.

"What time is it?" I asked siting back on the bed. My head had started spinning and I hadn't really wanted to pass out in front of Sasuke again.

"Only 6, you've be asleep a few hours." Sasuke walked over to the bed sitting down next to me. His chakra was spiked, it seems as though I had spoked him. "Ino said the painkillers she gave you would most likely make you drowsy."

I nodded and placed a hand on my forehead, my pointer finger feeling the newly formed seal on my forehead. "Sorry" I muttered but he just shook his head.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?"

"No. I'm alright just a nightmare is all." I stood up finally feeling stable enough to do so and started to make my way to my kitchen. Once in the kitchen I opened up the refrigerator and grabbed a container of orange juice. Placing it on the counter I turned to grab a glass with my other hand, but when I pick it up my hand spasmed and I dropped it.

The glass hit the floor and shattered, going everywhere, but I couldn't focus on that. My hand was shaking and when I tried to focus charka in my palm, I found myself unable to do so. "What?" I asked myself as I held both hands out in front of me, not understanding why they were not working.

"Sakura," Sasuke was at my side placing his hands across my shoulders. "It's alright." He said clammy as turned me around to face him. "Tsunade said you blew out your charka coils," he said slowly.

"But that means…" I stopped unable to finish the sentence.

"You might not be able to use charka again."


	3. Chapter 3

"How is she doing?" Naruto asked pulling up a seat at the bar. He had left the hospital hours ago with every intention of checking on Sakura, but after running into Ino he figured it would be best to give her some space.

"How do you think idiot?!" Sasuke barked back. He had been sitting in the bar for an hour or so, but the bottle of sake had not helped in calming him down. His blood was boiling, and he wanted nothing more than to hit something or someone.

"What did she say when you told her?" Naruto hung his head slightly. Once again, he felt powerless to do anything. Granny had explained that what Sakura had done was incredibility stupid. She had pumped every last ounce of available charka into Kakashi-sensei, so much so that the only thing keeping her going when we regrouped was pure willpower. Sakura had saved his life, but her body couldn't handle the strain.

"She didn't cry, she just got angry. She threw a couple glasses and after a couple minutes calmed down and asked me to leave." Sasuke raised the small cup and downed it.

He wanted to do something to help her, but she just pushed him away. He knew when he came back that things where going to be different, but he had never expected to Sakura to have changed as much as she did. The old Sakura would have thrown her arms around him and cried her eyes out begging him to stay with her, to make things okay. But the new Sakura wanted none of that. The moment after he told her the news, she stepped away from him, picked up two glasses and chucked them against the wall. She wouldn't even let him help pick up the glass before leaving.

"And you just left her?" Naruto yelled already jumping off his chair and throwing money down for the drink he got from the bartender. "Why the hell would you leave her when she can't even walk?"

"She doesn't want anyone there dobe." Sasuke stood and paid for the bottle. "Do you really think I wanted to leave her?" He asked, and Naruto felt slightly guilty for yelling at his best friend. Ever since Sasuke had been brought back to the village something had been off between him and Sakura. When Naruto would ask them about it, they would both just brush him off and change topics.

"I'm sorry, I just I don't know what to do. Kakashi-sensei refuses to talk about what happened and with Sakura hurt there is nothing I can do. I haven't felt this helpless in a long time." Naruto balled his fists. "I need to talk with Sakura-chan. I need her to explain what happened…."

"Fine." Sasuke agreed already walking toward the front door, "but if she gets mad, I'm blaming everything on you."

* * *

Sakura was seriously starting to rethink her plan. She hadn't expected it to be so hard to try and walk to the Hokage Tower on crunches and she was half tempted to kiss Sasuke for transporting her to her apartment the first time, because this was turning out to be a bitch. But she refused to turn back now. She had already hit the halfway mark, and she had important information her master needed to hear.

" _Your lover is what got you in trouble."_ Those words kept replaying in her head and she was trying to dissect their meaning. Lover? She hadn't been involved with anyone, between the hospital and her new advancement she hadn't been with anyone romantically. But they had to mean something. Those where their client's last words before she slit his throat. He knew he was going to die; those words must have a hidden meaning behind them.

"Sakura?" A worried voiced called behind her and she halted her movements. She had made it through most of the shinobi district without drawling to much attention, but in the market section it seems she had been spotted easily. "What the hell happened to you sweetheart? Are you alright?" Her partner asked already at her side, his eyes scanning over her trying to find the injuries.

"I've been better, but I'm okay Genma" she flashed him a smile and started walking again. She wanted to make it to the tower before her master was too drunk to function.

"Babe I know you have me wrapped around your little finger but your going to have to explain more than just that. You look like you're struggling to just stand up straight." With every word his signature senbon bounced between his teeth, and while he tried to appear nonchalant, he was worried. He hadn't seen his cherry hurt this bad in a long time and he could barely feel her charka signature.

"If you think I look bad you should see the other guy" she joked with him. But Genma wasn't having it and shock his head. "A mission went a little south, I got my ass kicked a little Gen." Sakura admitted quietly. She didn't like the fact she had let down her guard so much during this mission that it had almost cost her teammates their lives. She was trained better than that!

Genma saw the struggle in her eyes so instead of questioning her more he simply asked, "where are you going?"

"I need to see Lady Tsunade." Sakura replied.

"Would you like me to help you with that?" Genma flashed her his signature smirk and before she could even answer he was picking her up bridal style in the middle of the market and forming the seals to flicker.

Sakura mentally added Genma on the list to kiss for their assistance.

* * *

"It seems the first group was unsuccessful in the retrieval mission." A masked man said stepping out of the shadows. His bear mask was unpainted, and a black cloak hung loosely around his body.

"No, they did just as I expected." The bandaged man said slowly turning around to face the village down below. The masked man said nothing and drifted back into the shadows. "The girl will be mine one way or another." He smirked looking down at the village. _She is the key to my plan for destruction._ He let a little chuckle escape his lips before he too disappeared into nothingness.

* * *

"How are you feeling Sakura?" Tsunade asked without looking up form her mission report.

"The drugs are doing wonders" Sakura joked as she waited for Genma to drag the chair over from the corner. Once the chair was in front of her, she quickly sat. Her shoulder was screaming at her form overdoing it and her leg felt as if it was on fire.

"Sakura you know I should be kicking you out of my office right now and suspending you from your hospital duties for acting so reckless." Tsunade lectured as she stood up from her chair and walked in front of her desk, stopping right in front of Sakura. "I should be kicking your ass for making me worry."

"I know M'Lady. I am sorry to have failed you." Sakura hung her head knowing she deserved to hear every word of it, she had no excuses for her actions.

"Idiot" Tsunade said smacking Sakura on the head with her own mission report. "Never apologize for saving a teammate's life." Sakura raised meet her master's eyes confused. "Through would it have killed you to have left a little bit of your own charka for yourself."

"I'll keep that in mind for next time." Sakura smiled back for a moment before becoming serious. "It seems that our mission was a hoax from the beginning, and offering double payment was just an attempt to be assigned team 7."

"Why team 7?" Genma asked holding his arms over his chest. He was slowly starting to piece together what had happened, and he wasn't happy.

"Before I killed our lovely client, he told me that I was the goal all along." As soon as Sakura spoke those words the temperature in the room dropped several degrees and killing intent was rolling off both her master and her jounin partner.

* * *

Kakashi had been sitting in silence for the last hour, just staring at one of the pages from his favorite book, unable to focus enough to truly read. Once Naruto had left, Kakashi had been left alone and he found himself not really knowing what to do. He had thought of just leaving the hospital and heading home, but he knew Tsunade would track him down and kill him for giving her trouble; and a nurse had come in while Naruto was still here and informed him that he would mostly likely be released in the morning, so the trouble didn't seem worth it.

But now he was alone, and his thoughts were turning dark.

He wasn't surprised when the boys left to go after Sakura-chan. Between the two of them, she was clearly the more injured one, and all the males on Team 7 were guilty of being over protective of their only female teammate. But what had surprised him was the look Sakura had given him when she came charging into his hospital room. When she first had come in, she looked panicked, then after seeing he was alright relieved, but it lasted only a second or two before pure anger was written all over her features. She was pissed and hurt, and Kakashi had been the one to hurt her.

His memories were no longer fuzzy, he knew exactly what had happened. He remembered pushing Naruto out of the way of the blade. He remembered the pain and the drowning sensation as it became harder to breath. He remembered the touch of her lips on his as she preformed CPR. Kakashi raised his hand and traced the edges of his masked lips, still feeling the warmth of her breathe against his cold skin. He remembered the warn sensation in his chest as her charka spread throughout him. He remembered the tears flowing down her checks and the panic in her eyes. Kakashi couldn't remember anyone ever crying over him like that before.

He placed the book down on his lap, and closed his eyes, frustration slowly building in his chest. He hadn't meant to hurt her, his only goal had been to keep her safe, but he had fucked up. Not only had he undermined her abilities as a medic, but he also broken her trust. After Sasuke had returned to the village Sakura had explained what had happened on her mission. She trusted him and opened up about what Sasuke had done. She had told him about the nightmares that followed, he saw the affect it had on her.

Yet, Kakashi had still choose to use his sharingan against her in a last-ditch effort to make her leave him and go after the boys, and now he didn't know if he could ever repair the damage, he had caused…

* * *

"What did the client say?" Tsunade's face suddenly serious. She didn't like this one bit. Someone was after her number one student and it could have been for a number of reasons. Recently Sakura had made it into the Bingo Books, but her description had been so vague that if you hadn't known it was Sakura you would have never made the connection.

"He said my lover is what got me in trouble, but I have no idea who they were talking about. I'm not dating anyone, and if it had been one of the male members of my team surly, they would have gone after them instead during the mission." Sakura was at a loss, she hadn't even slept with anyone. Lover? She couldn't even make an educated guess on who they were talking about.

"Uchiha" Genma spat. He could already feel his blood pressure rising and he wanted nothing more than mess the pretty boy's face up. "His only been back a few months. They have to be talking about the traitor."

"Gen" Sakura paused unsure of how to continue. "We aren't dating, we are barely even teammates at this point, I don't see how anyone could mistake us as lovers. Plus, if Sasuke was the target why go after me? Why not go after him directly?"

"You might have been bait for whatever they are planning Sakura." Tsunade spoke letting out a breath. This would complicate things. Team 7 had just reformed and Sasuke Uchiha was still on probation and the village elders were fighting her every step of the way.

"Regardless, what do we do now?" Sakura asked with a bit of bite to her tone. She was frustrated. She felt completely out in the open and she couldn't even defend herself if someone was to go after her in her own village. Sakura hadn't worked all these years just to be turned back into a weakling.

Tsunade brought her hand to her temple and massaged it slightly. "You are on leave until further notice. You are not allowed to leave the village for any reason unless I approve it myself. I would like to assign you a guard until-"

"I'll do it!" Genma cut in before Tsunade could finish her sentence. "She is my partner after all."

Tsunade nodded, while Sakura just remained quiet. She just looked down at her shaking hands unable to make them stop. "M'Lady what is the likelihood that this is permanent?" Tsunade stepped forward catching Sakura's hand in her own, her other glowing a bright green before running up and down Sakura's arms. The room grew uncomfortably silent for several minutes as Tsunade did her scan.

Sakura was nervous, and for good reason. Very few shinobi who blew out their charka coils in the arms ever return to active duty. Once the connectors were fried it was hard to get the nerves to reconnect and function properly. Sakura wasn't sure what she would do with her life if that was taken away from her. Though it had been no one's fault but her own she still felt bitter toward Kakashi. If she had a chance to redo everything over again, she would still save Kakashi, because Kakashi was Kakashi and he had been such a big part of her life she didn't know what she would do without him. Even if he thought his life was worthless, Sakura didn't feel the same.

But if she couldn't be a shinobi anymore what would she do? Her parents had always wanted her to be a civilian, but with them gone, she couldn't think she could ever go back to that kind of life. If she couldn't be a medic anymore who would take care of her boys? Sakura finally took her eyes off her shaking hands and locked with her partners. What would happen to Genma? They had almost been partners for a year, and they had both grow every found of one another. Sakura looked to him as an older brother, and her heart painfully clenched at the thought of not working with him again. If she was taken off rotation, he would be put back on the black ops teams and she couldn't allow that to happen.

"Cherry wasn't going on?" Genma asked placing a hand on her shoulder firmly. Sakura went to open her mouth to apologize for screwing everything up but she couldn't form any words. How could she explain to Genma that their team might be disbanded, after everything he had done for her?

"Gen, I'm so sorry" Sakura broke eye contact and lowered her head, allowing her hair to shift down and cover her face from his view.

"I wouldn't be apologizing just yet Sakura-chan." Tsunade said almost giddy. Sakura snapped her attention to her master in front of her. Tsunade's smile only grew as she saw the hopefulness in Sakura's eyes. "Your body is already correcting the damage."

"That means-"

"You'll have control of your charka again."

Tsunade would forever deny the tear that ran down her face as Sakura jumped up from the chair and collided with her in a tight hug.


	4. Chapter 4

"Where the hell is she?" Naruto asked as he came back into her living room. They had arrived at her apartment to check on her, only to find the place empty and glass still on the kitchen floor. Naruto was having a miniature panic attack. "What if something happened? What if Sakura-chan needs something and no one is there to help her?"

Naruto was about to run out the front door, determine to search through the entire village to find her when Sasuke put his hand on his shoulder. "Calm down idiot. She isn't helpless" Sasuke left his side and went into the kitchen to pick up the glass. "If she's not back in half an hour we will look for her." Naruto pouted but eventually agreed, sitting on the couch and flicking on the TV hoping to kill some time.

Sasuke cleaned up the glass in silence. This was only the second time he had been allowed in Sakura's apartment and he didn't really think the first time counted. When Sasuke had first taken her home from the hospital she tried to get him to leave right away, but he refused. He wasn't about to leave her unguarded when she was clearly still hurt, so he argued either he stayed, or he would get Naruto to stay instead. Sakura quickly agreed to let him stay but Sasuke guessed it was only because Naruto would have been too loud and hovering to allow her to rest properly.

Once Sasuke threw away the glass he stood and started to walk back to the living room when he noticed a wall full of photos. He stepped closer wanting to get a peak at the part of Sakura's life he had missed. Ever since he was taken back to the village, she had kept her distant. Any information Sasuke learned about her had been told to him by others. Naruto was the one to inform him about her training under the 5th Hokage. Naruto had been the only to inform him that she worked at the hospital part time, helping Tsunade train more nurses and redo hospital protocol.

Sai had been the one to inform Sasuke of Sakura's jounin status, and that had been unintended. One day Naruto was bragging about learning a new jutsu from Master Jiraiya and how it was going to bring him one step closer to becoming Hokage when Sai pointed out that he was still only a genin. Naruto went to protest when Sai joked that Sakura had a better chance of becoming Hokage because she was already a jounin and helping the current Hokage with her work load. Sasuke was shocked that the weakness link in Team 7 was the first to be promoted. He had been so shocked that he hadn't even asked how long she had been a jounin for.

Kakashi had been the one to inform Sasuke that he owed Sakura for helping save his life. When he was brought back to the village, he had been held in a cell for two weeks, and he thought for sure he would have been killed for his crimes against the village. But at the end of two weeks both Tsunade and Kakashi stood in front of his cell, explaining the terms of his probation and saying they hoped he took it seriously because there would be no second chance if he fucked this up. At first Sasuke had thought it was his loud mouth best friend that saved his ass, but he quickly learned that Naruto had been sent out on a training mission with Jiraiya a week before he was brought back. Kakashi said it was Sakura who sat through all the meeting with council and with the village elders. Sakura had been the one to gather the heirs of all the major clans to testify in favor of sparing his life. Sakura had been the one to fight against sealing his sharingan, even after he had used it against her in the worst way possible.

Yet after he was released from prison Sakura hadn't been there. Kakashi was the one to take responsibility of him, though that only lasted a week before Naruto was back in the village and insisted that he would watch over Sasuke. In the months that followed he didn't see Sakura, didn't train with her, didn't even have the chance to thank her. Their first real interaction within the village had only been two weeks ago. Kakashi had called a training session early in the morning and Sasuke had been surprised when he stepped onto their training grounds and noticed her standing next to Kakashi, through Sakura wouldn't look at him. When training began, Sai and Sasuke had been paired together, while Naruto fought Yamato and Sakura spared against Kakashi. As soon as practice was over, she was gone, and that pattern repeated for a week. The spraining partner changed throughout the week, but Sasuke and Sakura were never put together as sparing partners.

On the last day of training Sakura had stayed and was talking with Kakashi when Sasuke had worked up enough courage to go and talk with her. But as soon as he started walking her way, she noticed and was gone. Sasuke went to go after her, still vaguely sensing her charka signature when a leaf jounin appeared next to Kakashi, glaring at him. Her jounin partner, Genma, had been the one who told Sasuke to stay away from her. Genma warned him that if he hurt her again, it would be the last thing he ever did, and then once that threat left his mouth he was gone too.

Sasuke snapped out of his thoughts when he realized he was glaring at a picture of Genma and Sakura. In the picture they stood in front of the jounin building hugging, and if Sasuke had to guess it was probably taken on the day of her promotion. His eyes shifted and he noticed another of Sakura when she was younger, her hair just reaching her shoulders. Sakura was laying on her back smiling while Tsunade stood above her looking down almost motherly. The training ground around them was completely destroyed. Another photo showed Sakura cutting a large red ribbon in front of the new children's clinic that had just opened up a few months ago. Sakura's hair was curled in lose waterfall curls that reach her lower back, and a white doctors coat hugged her body. Her smile was bright and it warmed Sasuke to be able to see this side of her. When they were kids Sakura had always had a caring nature and to see her in her element made Sasuke happy for some reason.

"Gen you really do not have to spend the night, I will be fine." Sakura's voice giggled from behind the front door. Sasuke quickly stepped away from the photos and moved closer to the couch Naruto had been sitting on. At hearing the sound of her voice Naruto had jumped up from the couch and was running to the front door to open it.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled throwing open the front door and throwing himself on Sakura before she could even make it into the apartment. "Where have you been? How are you feeling? Do you need anything? What do you need me to do?"

"Naruto, Naruto take a breath." Sakura said squeezing Naruto harder. She buried her face into his chest and allow him to hug back tighter. She didn't care that she had a couple broken ribs, or that the hug was pulling on the stiches on her back; she needed his hug. Naruto had always been a safe place for her, and even though she hadn't seen much or him the last few weeks his presence was reassuring. Plus, Kakashi wasn't the only one she had been worried about and even though she had seen that he was okay when she busted into the hospital room, she hadn't been able to talk with him. "I'm alright. I'm glad your alright too." She hugged tighter and she could feel Naruto kiss the top of her head.

"Of course, I'm alright, you better believe it. But Sakura-chan where were you?" Naruto almost whined.

"I needed to go talk with Lady Tsunade. Genma went with me." Naruto released the hug, finally seeing Genma. Sakura turned around feeling the shift of charka in the air, only to find Genma glaring at Sasuke sitting on the couch in her apartment.

"What is he doing here?" Genma spat. It was no secret that Genma didn't like the Uchiha. If it had been up to him, Sasuke would have been held responsible for his crimes and either left to rot in prison or killed after trail. Genma hadn't expected Sakura to jump to his defense and he hadn't realized how well versed politicly she was until the trails had finished and almost all of Sakura's terms had been meet. But regardless of whether Sakura had fought for the Uchiha's freedom once before or not, he had no right to be in her apartment.

"We came to check on Sakura-chan and since she wasn't here, we decided to wait for her." Naruto spoke slowly trying not to anger anyone. Him and Genma had already talked about the Sasuke situation multiple times before and Naruto understood where he was coming form. Naruto wasn't stupid, he knew Genma knew more about what had happened between Sakura and Sasuke than he did, but Sasuke needed at least one person on his side. Genma was more than willing and ready to fight on behalf of Sakura, so much so that somethings he forgets to take into consideration what Sakura wants.

"Leave." Genma commanded walking into the apartment. He wanted the Uchiha gone. He wanted the Uchiha the hell away from his cherry blossom.

Sasuke stood from the couch pissed off. "You have no control over me. This is Sakura's apartment not yours." Sasuke puffed out his chest as he spoke but made no move to move away from the couch.

"You have a lot of balls coming into her apartment." Genma crossed his arms over his chest, his hands already twitching wanting a fight.

"Genma..." Sakura spoke softly, "it's okay." She walked further into her apartment and locked eyes with Sasuke. "Thank you for helping me earlier." She turned and locked eyes with Genma before Sasuke could reply "and thank you for going with me to see Lady Tsunade. But if you will all excuse me, I am going to take a shower and wash off all the grim and hospital smell."

"Do you need help?" Naruto asked torn between wanting to keep Genma and Sasuke from killing one another and wanting to make sure Sakura was okay.

"If you wouldn't mind helping me for a moment Naruto that would be wonderful" Sakura was already making her way to the bathroom, with Naruto hot on her trails. Once they were inside the bathroom Naruto shut the door and Sakura let out a long breath she had been holding.

"You okay with him being here Sakura?" Naruto asked already heling her unzip the back of her shirt. Her skin was turning uglier shades of blue and yellow and Naruto had to fight the urge to curse.

"Yes" she answered after a moments thought. "Close your eyes for a moment please." Naruto did as told and she very slowly took of her clothes being mindful of her shoulder and leg. She grabbed a big white fluffy towel and wrapped herself in it before telling Naruto he could open his eyes. Naruto helped her sit on the toilet as he worked on slowly wrapping her leg in plastic so her brace wouldn't get wet.

"Do you want me to wait in here while you shower just in case?" Naruto asked as he stood.

"No, it's alright Naruto, go back and make sure those two don't kill one another." She flashed him a smile, but she couldn't fool him, the smile never reached her eyes. Naruto carefully shut the door and made his way back to the living room where he could already here them arguing quietly.

"You don't get to come in here and start acting like you give a shit about her Uchiha." Genma snapped, his arms no longer crossed over his chest, but instead fell to his sides, his hands clenching and unclenching as he spoke.

"Who are you to say I don't care about her? She is my teammate." Sasuke barked back. He was tried of Genma. He had taken a lot of crap from a lot of people but if majority of those in his class had forgiven him, who was Genma to tell him what he felt.

"She is not your teammate, she is my partner. You left this village not caring about her. You left her on a fucking cold bench in the middle of the night when she was the only person who cared about you. You didn't care about her then, you don't get to care about her now. You can't come back into the village and act like you have done nothing wrong. What you did to her is unforgivable. So, forgive me if I don't feel comfortable to leave my partner's safety in the hands of a traitor who has already hurt her before!" Genma had gotten louder at the end of his little speech but he didn't care. He could still hear the water running and he was doubtful Sakura would hear him.

Sasuke went to throw an insult back when the words got stuck in his throat, because he did care. He had always cared, he just didn't know how to show it. Since his return back to the village he had wanted to talk with Sakura, but she had been avoiding him. He hadn't had a chance to explain to her why he did what he did. He had always been bad at understanding and showing emotions and when it came to Sakura it was always so much harder. But they needed to talk, their last battle had gone too far, he had played dirty and he knew exactly why Sakura didn't trust him.

"Hn." Was all he could muster as he sat back down on the couch, his back to the asswhole. He wouldn't leave the apartment until Sakura asked him too, not before, no matter how much Genma threw a fit.

"Genma your spending the night, right?" Naruto asked waiting to break some of the tension in the room. Genma nodded back. "I'll stay with Sakura. Go get an overnight bag and come back. By then Sakura-chan will probably be ready to go to bed."

"You're not leaving her Naruto?"

"Promise."

Genma shot one more nasty look at Sasuke before he was out the door. Hoping to be back within a half hour with clothes and food.

Naruto slightly shock his head before sitting next to Sasuke on the couch. Today had already been a trying emotional day and now having to deal with Genma had made it so much worse. "You alight?" Naruto asked his best friend, placing a hand on his knee, trying to give him support without stepping over the line.

"Hn." Was Sasuke's only reply as he leaned back into the couch and closed his eyes.

The two boys were silent for a moment and Naruto could tell Sasuke was trying to clam down. "I can't say Genma didn't over step with what he said right now, but I understand him Sasuke. We both left her. You took after Orochimaru for over three years and after failing to bring you back the first time, I couldn't face her. Shortly after that, I left with Prevy Sage for three years to train. Kakashi-sensei kind of disappeared to for a while. She was on her own. Lady Tsunade took her under her wing, but its still not the same as having a team. You'll see a lot of the older jounin are very protective of Sakura-chan, same goes for Shikamaru and Neji. When I came back, I got my ass chewed out by several people and I know Kakashi had his fair share of it too."

"But at least she has forgiven you guys for leaving her, she won't even talk with me." Sasuke's eyes were still closed, but the knot in his chest tightened.

"Teme give her time. Neither one of you have told me what happened on that mission that brought you back to the village. I can't help either one of you, if I don't know what's going on." Naruto waited for Sasuke to respond, maybe even for Sasuke to finally explain what had happened but he remained silent. Naruto let out a huff of frustration and turned the channel on the tv.

* * *

"How are you feeling sempai?" Yamato asked leaning against the window seal. Shortly after returning from his and Sai's mission this morning he was informed that the rest of his team had been attacked. He had wanted to check on his teammates sooner, but he had been up for over 72 hours and after learning that no one was in critical condition he figured it would be alright to check on them after he cleaned up and had a couple hours rest.

"I'm fine." Kakashi's responses had been short all night.

"What happened?" Yamato asked ignoring Kakashi's bad mood.

"The mission was fake. It was just a set up to jump one of our teams." Kakashi said finally putting the book down. He knew Yamato wouldn't leave regardless of how bad he was treated.

"You want to explain why Sakura's not in your room right now playing nurse?" Yamato already knew Sakura was injured, but in the past that had never stopped her. If someone on her team was hurt, she stayed with them, took over their cases and only left when her presence was needed elsewhere. It didn't make sense why she wasn't here. It didn't make sense why at least one of the other members of Team 7 was not here.

"I messed up Tenzo." Yamato stiffened at the use of that name. "I used my sharingan against her."

"Why?" Yamato's voice suddenly dropping. Deep down Yamato knew Kakashi had to have a good reason for using that one her, because he knew Kakashi understood how much Sakura hated those eyes.

"I got hurt badly, and she wouldn't leave me. She was getting attacked and taking the hits. She refused to stopped healing, wouldn't stop to defend herself." Kakashi eye refused to meet Yamato's, instead his focus was on his hand at his side.

"Where were the boys?"

"Fighting majority of the men that jumped us. I don't understand how we didn't sense them. Even fighting them, it was hard to tell how many there were and where they were." Kakashi clenched the sheets, anger building within him again. He was better than that. There was no reason why they should have been jumped the way they were.

"What jutsu did you use?"

"Genjutsu, I tried to make her believe I was already dead to force her to regroup with Naruto and Sasuke." Kakashi was only giving Yamato the general overview. He didn't want to share exactly what had happened in the genjutsu, not before he got to talk with Sakura about it first.

"How was she able to break out of it? I know she is a genjutsu specialist but against a blood line? She shouldn't have been able to break through it."

"She awoke her yin seal, the increase in charka flow disturbed the illusion."

"What's going to happen to Team 7 now?" It had taken months for Sakura to agree to be in the same area as Sasuke, and even then, she refused to spare against him. Yamato could only imagine how their team dynamics would change now Kakashi had broken her trust to.

"I have no idea."

* * *

It had felt nice to finally be able to shower properly. Yes, the nurses did their best to clean her up while she was knocked out for four days, but a sponge bath could never compete with the real thing. Plus, Sakura wanted to put a little bit of breathing room between all the men in her apartment. She didn't like showing weakness and she wasn't used to men butting heads over her. Sakura wasn't stupid, she knew both Naruto and Kakashi had got their asses chewed out by multiple people on her behalf, but it had never been done in front of her. Everyone knew she hadn't asked anyone to defend her, and everyone knew she would stop it the moment she saw it, so everyone did it when she wasn't around.

She was torn between waiting to stop Genma because she was willing to start working through some of the issues, she had with Sasuke, but on the other hand she knew Genma was bound to snap at Sasuke one way or another. At least this way she had Naruto there to stop them before anyone started a fight.

Sakura let the warm water wash over her. Her body felt slightly better, but she knew it was only because she had taken a pain pill before she had left the tower. Tsunade agreed not to tell the other members of team 7 that she had become a target as long as she stuck close to Genma. And seeing how Genma was already fussing this much over her she didn't think it was going to be a problem.

Very slowly Sakura turned off the water and pulled back the curtains of the shower. She grabbed the fluffy white towel and wrapped it tightly around herself. Sakura knew she had to be careful, her crutches were in the front room and her leg was already hurting for being on it to much. Carefully she stepped out of the shower and made her way to the sink. She quickly brushed her teeth, applied deodorant and ran a brush through her hair, but when she went to walk toward the door her leg buckled, and she slipped.

* * *

Bang!

Both boys jumped up at the sound and without a second thought were both running toward the bathroom. Sasuke's eyes had bleed to red without him even realizing it because all he knew was that the sound had come from where Sakura was.

"Sakura are you decent?" Naruto tried asking before opening the door but Sasuke was already throwing the door open not caring if she was or not. The water wasn't running, he figured the likelihood of her being naked was probably smaller than the likelihood she was hurt.

The door flew open only to show Sakura on the floor on her side. "Sakura are you alright?" Sasuke asked softly squatting down next to her. A towel covered her body, but it was raised dangerously high on her hip. Sakura had her eyes tightly closed, trying to ride out the pain. At the last moment she was able to twist her body, so she had fallen on her good leg, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

"Sakura-chan do you need help getting up?" Naruto was still in the doorway. Sasuke had basically plowed him over in his attempt to get to Sakura.

Sakura nodded her head and Sasuke very carefully lopped his arms under Sakura and picked her up. As soon as Sakura was up in the air, she opened her eyes and they locked with Sasuke's. "Turn them off" Sakura whispered suddenly shaking. "Please" she pleaded when Sasuke didn't compile right away and closed her eyes.

"Turn what off Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked moving out of the way so Sasuke could carry Sakura out of the bathroom.

"Your sharingan, turn it off." Sakura was still shaking but as soon as she spoke those words Sasuke understood why she was freaking out.

"Their off Sakura" he turned off his blood limit and started walking toward his bedroom, but Sakura didn't reopen her eyes. Naruto quickly opened the bedroom door and Sasuke gently placed her on the bed, still shaking.

"Sakura-chan" Naruto whispered already moving next to her side, trying to tell how injured she was, but she didn't respond, she just kept her eyes closed. "Do you need help getting dressed or did you want to wait for Genma? Do you want me to go get Ino?"

Naruto kept talking to her in a low soft voice, but she wasn't responding. Sakura was too busy trying to fight off the flashbacks. As soon as her eyes meet his she was transport back to the hideout. She could feel his chidori running through her body as she fought to slap the seal on him. She could taste the blood pooling in her mouth, her body unable to handle the trauma. She could still see that clouded look in his eyes when they fought. She could hear her teammates call out to her as they fought their way toward her. It didn't matter if it had been months since it actually happened, once their eyes meet, she felt as if she was reliving the battle.

Sasuke had moved away from the bed, not really knowing what else to do. He could see the how tightly Sakura had her eyes closed. He could feel the sudden spike in her charka as she went into a panic. The knot in his chest tighten so tightly he hadn't realized he had stopped breathing until his lungs were screaming at him to take a breath. He had done this to her. His presence only caused her pain and he didn't know how to feel about that. He wanted to take away her pain but didn't know what to do.

Naruto went to stand up to go get Ino when Sakura reached out and grabbed his hand, holding it tightly. Naruto looked at Sasuke and then back at Sakura, "I'm right here Sakura-chan. You're okay."

The room was silent for another ten minutes before Sakura finally spoke up. "I'm sorry," was all she could muster. Slowly but surely her body stopped shaking and the flashbacks faded again, leaving her physically and emotionally exhausted. "I'm so-rry" her voice broke as she tried to hold back her sob. A few tears had escaped her and were flowing down her face. When Naruto moved to hug her, Sasuke left the room unable to see her like this.

Naruto only broke the hug when he heard the front door slam shut. Sakura's eyes flickered open and she slowly sat up. "I'm sorry Naruto…I don't know if I can do this…"


	5. Chapter 5

"Are you sure you don't want me tagging along?" Genma asked sitting on the couch, his arms crossed over his chest, clearly annoyed. While Sakura's best friend was a nice piece of eye candy to look at, the moment she opened her mouth she ruined the pretty illusion she portrayed.

"I swear to god Shiranui! If you step one foot in that bar, I will cut off your manhood!" Ino glared as she came out of Sakura's bedroom. Ino had showed up an hour ago declaring she was taking Sakura out to the bar tonight for the Konoha 11 get-together. When Sakura had declined the offer Ino threw a fit and threated to bring Naruto over if she didn't go. Once Sakura had agreed to go Ino had pulled her into the bedroom to help her get ready and left Genma to sit on the couch and watch TV.

"Remind me why I am not allowed to go?" Genma didn't like the idea of leaving his partner. Call it separation anxiety or overprotectiveness, he didn't want to leave his partner, not when someone was still after her.

"Because she needs a night out without you there watching every little move she makes. I'll be with her the whole night. She will be fine." Ino's glare soften slightly and sent Genma a smile, she knew he was only trying to be helpful, but sometimes the only way she could get Shiranui to listen was to be a 'little' assertive. "I won't let anything happen to her Genma."

"It's okay Gen. A few hours outside the apartment might do me some good. Besides didn't you have a big date tonight?" Sakura called from inside her room.

"Fine," Genma huffed as he stood up from the couch. As if a date could really make him leave Sakura's side when she is hurt like this. And he wasn't just talking about the physical damage. The next time he saw Kakashi he was going to kick his ass. The last three days Sakura had out right refused to leave the apartment unless it was to go see Tsunade. She had made Naruto promise to give her some space for a couple days and had asked that no one come to visit her. She wasn't sleeping, and Genma could see the bags under her eyes. Every time she would try and sleep the nightmares would take over and she would wake up screaming.

Maybe that's why Ino was throwing such a fit about tonight. She had been over yesterday to check Sakura's leg and ribs and while neither girl had spoken about what had happened, Genma guessed it was women's intuition that had Ino connecting the dots. Sakura wasn't coping well. Kakashi using the sharingan on her had brought back all the emotions from Sasuke. And what made matters worse was that last time she had Kakashi to lean on for support. Kakashi had been her rock and now that he had gone and broken her trust Sakura was struggling to keep everything in check.

"How do I look?" Sakura asked walking into the front room. She had changed out of her mission uniform, no longer being on active duty at the moment. She had pulled on a pair of tight black pants that hugged the curves of her hips and legs just in the right place, her boots replaced by kunoichi sandals. The black brace on her leg blending in, making it less noticeable. Her short sleeve shirt had been replaced by a tight white long-sleeve shirt. The shirt had a decent V-neck line, showing off a little of her cleavage. Her hair was curled into lose waterfall curls and she wore a nude glittery lipstick. She had applied a little mascara and eyeliner making her eyes pop.

"You look gorgeous." Genma moved closer to Sakura smiling. She had a little bit of sparkle back in her eyes and did truly look gorgeous. Sakura always had a natural beautiful look, but when she put on makeup it easily took her from the girl next door to the hottest in the room. Maybe tonight is what she needed. "You'll be okay?"

"I'll be okay Gen" Sakura hugged him goodbye. "Have fun on your date tonight." Genma squeezed her back harder and when they released Ino handed Sakura her crutches.

Very slowly they made their way to the bar. While Sakura's body was recovering, at a quicker rater than normal thanks to her new seal, she still didn't have good control of her charka, so jumping from rooftop to rooftop was off limits. Though Ino didn't seem to mind walking slow and filled the time chatting about what had been happening around the village the last two weeks. Ten minutes later when the bar came in sight Sakura suddenly stopped walking.

"What's wrong?" Ino asked concerned.

"Ino do I really look okay? Because I still feel like I've been thrown off a cliff and trampled on by 100 Naruto clones."

"Sakura," Ino paused not really sure what to say. Sakura did look stunning, but she was still showing signs of her battle. While the burns on her arms and gash on her back were easily hide under the long sleeve her face and neck were a different story. Her left temple still had a nasty looking bruise that her foundation hadn't been able to cover up. Her neck still showed the bruise mark of the bastard's hands when he tried to strangled Sakura. The bruise was fading, but whenever Sakura moved her hair there were clear finger bruises on either side of her neck.

Ino moved closer to Sakura and put a hand on her shoulder. "Forehead you look a little beat up but so what. We are your friends, we are here for you. And after a couple of drinks you won't even be thinking about that."

Sakura gave Ino a weak smile. "Okay…but only if the first round is on you."

* * *

The bar was pretty busy given that it was a Wednesday night, but they guessed it was to be expected. After Team 7 had returned home from that mission, the Hokage had restricted the flow of missions, unable to prove which requests were real and which might be traps. The Konoha 11 had taken advantage of the fact they were all in the village again at the same time and had planned a night of eating and drinking together. Though the Konoha 11 were more like the Konoha 13 now that Sasuke was back and Sai had been assigned to Team 7 a year ago.

Naruto, Sasuke and Sai had been the first ones to show up and were quick to reserve a couple of tables in the back of the bar. The boys had been half way though their first round of beers when everyone else (minus Ino and Sakura) had began showing up.

"Is Sakura supposed to be coming tonight?" Shikamaru asked taking his seat next to Choji who was already eating an appetizer they had ordered for the table.

"I'm hoping so. Ino said she was going to drag her out tonight, but Sakura might not be up to it." Naruto answered back bitterly. He hasn't been able to see Sakura the last few days and he was worried. She had freaked out pretty bad at her apartment and hadn't calmed completely down until Genma showed back up.

"How hurt is she?" Shikamaru already had a general idea what had happened on that mission. He had read the mission reports from Naruto and Sasuke when he found out Sakura had been attacked. Ino had been the one to prevent him from visiting Sakura. Ino had thrown a fit saying Sakura wanted some space, which was clear indication that Sakura was badly hurt. He had been on enough missions with Sakura to know that she didn't like showing weakness in front of anyone.

As if one que the door to the bar opens and in walks Ino and Sakura. Naruto was quick to jump up from his seat, quickly forgetting his conversation with Shikamaru, and made his way to the girls. Shikamaru and Neji shared a knowing glance with one another after seeing the state she was in, they were going to have a chat later.

"What the hell happened on your mission?" Kiba growled as his eyes bounced between Sasuke and Sakura. Everyone else at the table was thinking the same thing. No one had ever seen Sakura this beat up before; one of the perks of being one of the top medics in the village was you could normally heal yourself.

"We were ambushed and separated." Sasuke responded not even bothering to turn and look at Kiba. His eyes were locked on Sakura. Every time he looked at her, he was remained of how much he didn't know about her. Sasuke knew Sakura had always been beautiful, but he hadn't seen her out of her mission gear since they were kids; and it shows her skills were not the only thing that had improved in the years he was gone.

"You guys left her to defend for herself?" Neji questioned.

"We had no choice." Sasuke answered finally taking his eyes off her. "Kakashi got hurt, they spilt off, Naruto and I didn't realize they had sent people after them until we regrouped."

"Is the person that.." Hinata cut herself off unable to finish her question.

"Yes. She killed him." Sasuke answered plainly before picking up his pint of beer and taking a large drink.

Hinata went to say something else when Sakura, Ino and Naruto made their way back to the bar. Everyone was quickly silenced, no one wanted to talk about that mission anymore, no one wanted to upset Sakura. Naruto sat down next to Sasuke, while Sakura sat next to Shikamaru and Ino next to Kiba.

"Hey guys," Sakura greeted as Naruto slide over her blue fruity cocktail he had carried over from the bar for her. "Long time no see" she joked a little unconformable because it had been. She hadn't everyone since the trails and even then, she hadn't been able to sit down and talk about anything other than what she needed help with. She felt a little guilty at not having put more effort to see them, but she hadn't been ready to see him…

"No kidding, here I thought the only way I was going to see our cute medic friend was if I got injured and had to go to the hospital." Kiba joked sending her a wink.

A slight blush spread across her cheeks. "Yeah, the hospital has kept me pretty busy."

"Hopefully not too busy to keep from attending the festival next week," Hinata said pointing her fingers together under the table and quickly glancing at Naruto before turning her attention back to Sakura.

"Wait! Wait! Wait!" Ino started yelling dramatically. "The festival is next week?" Ino looked around the table only to get a couple head nodes. "Shit! My dad has kept me so busy at the shop that it totally slipped my mind."

As Ino started franticly going over what the girls needed to do, Sakura sat back and slowly drank her drink. Finally, being able to breathe a sigh of relief, no longer being the center of attention. Tonight, was already stressful enough without everyone looking at her. Tonight, would be the first time Sakura interacted with Sasuke outside of a mission or training session. Because no she didn't really count that day in apartment, and she wasn't sure how tonight was going to go.

Every time she felt his attention turn to her, the alertness kicked into over drive. Whenever Sasuke reached for his glass of beer, she had to flight not to flinch. As Ino went on and on about the festival, Sakura wonder if things would ever go back to normal…

* * *

Kakashi stood in front of the Memorial Stone staring at the names of his fallen comrades. He had been released from the hospital three days ago and had spent majority of his time in front of the stone. Tsunade had pulled him from active duty for the next week or so, allowing him time to rebuild his charka reserves. Naruto had come and checked on him several times but hadn't stayed very long. Naruto had asked what had happened but Kakashi remained silent. He wasn't going to explain to either one of the boys before he had a chance to explain it to her. She deserved at least that much. He had been trying to find the right words to explain to her why he had done that. Why he had to use that course of action, but the words he came up with weren't enough.

How do you explain to someone you had no choice but to use their greatest fear against them?

"I was going to try and wait until you left the memorial stone out of respect, but it seems you will probably be here all night." Genma's voice bombed in the quiet place. He had been waiting in the trees the last two hours, waiting for the great copy cat ninja to leave so he could kick his ass. But he was tired of waiting, he wanted to be home when Sakura got there, and Kakashi had a past recorded of spending the entire night at the stone after he fucked up.

"I see you finally left Sakura's side." Kakashi had sensed him when he had first arrived and was hoping Genma would just lose interest and leave him alone.

"Ino is with her, she isn't alone," Genma walked closer to his childhood friend, stopping in front of the stone. Genma bowed his head and said a prayer before turning his attention back to his friend. "Can we go somewhere to talk?" His signature senbon was missing from his teeth, a clear indication that he was taking this seriously.

"If you have something to say, say it now."

"No, I won't disrespect this place. Training grounds 2." Genma said before flickering away.

Kakashi stepped closer and ran his finger over the only other female teammate he ever had besides Sakura before flickering to training ground 2.

As soon as his feet hit the ground, he is already side stepping, trying to avoid a punch. The calm Genma that appeared in front of the stone is gone, and now all Genma would like to do is beat the shit out of his friend. Genma throws another punch but Kakashi catches his hand. "What the fuck were you thinking?!" Genma yelled as he tries to side kick Kakashi in the ribcage. Kakashi is quick to let go of the hand and back flips, putting a little distance between them. He was still recovering from his last fight, he wasn't trying to get into another one. When Kakashi doesn't respond Genma becomes more pissed. "How could you do that to her? Do you have any idea what you have done!"

Kakashi stared at his friend unable to form the words. He knew what he had done. While Kakashi hadn't gone to see Sakura yet, every night he waited in the trees by her apartment and made sure she was home safe. Kakashi had heard her screams. He had heard her crying and he had been unable to do anything about it.

"She won't even talk to me about it Kakashi." Genma said finally calming down a bit seeing that Kakashi wasn't as emotionless as he was when they started 'talking.' "All she has told me is that you used the sharingan against her."

"You weren't there." Kakashi finally spoke out.

"No, no I wasn't. If I had been my partner wouldn't have almost died!" Genma had been against that mission from the start. He didn't want her going on a mission with the Uchiha. It had only been six months since he had been brought back, she wasn't ready to interact with him. Placing them on a mission together had been a stupid call. Genma had told the Hokage that multiple times and had insisted that at the very least he should be assigned as well. But last minute a mission had come up and he had no choice but to leave the village.

"She was hurt! She wouldn't leave and regroup with the other members of the team!" Kakashi felt the frustration building in his chest. He wanted to be able to blame someone for what had happened.

"After all your crap about teamwork when they were genin, you really expected her to leave you?! It's my understanding that if she had left you or hadn't broken out of that genjutsu you would have died. Did you really underestimate her skill set that much?" It felt good to scream and yell at his childhood friend because damnit Kakashi needed to understand what that mission had done to her. "Did you even know she was storing charka for the Strength of a Hundred Seal?"

Kakashi didn't answer, he hadn't. It seemed every time he looked at Sakura, he discovered another side of her he knew nothing about. When Kakashi had read her mission report regarding the recovery of Sasuke, he couldn't believe what he had read. If the remaining members of that squad hadn't reported the same thing, he would have thought she had been lying.

"You powerhouses are all alike" Genma bit out bitterly. "Just because Sakura comes across as sweet and innocent doesn't mean she isn't a capable kunoichi. Sakura is deadly. Maybe not in the same way as Naruto or you, but she took down an Uchiha on her own. She has saved multiple ninjas in this village that would have died without her. She sought out Tsunade on her own when her team LEFT HER! Sakura doesn't come from a powerful clan, she wasn't gifted a power. Everything she has, she has earned through blood, sweat and tears. Yet for some reason Team 7 can't acknowledge that. You guys take her for granted and underestimate her time and time again."

"Genma…I…I couldn't-"

"You couldn't what? Let her get hurt? Let her die protecting you? Don't you think that was her choice to make. If you hadn't used the sharingan she wouldn't have been hurt nearly as bad. She was almost done healing you when you pulled that stupid stunt. You drained your charka and went into cardiac arrest. She tried telling you that you would be fine, but you had to be a selfish bastard. If you had died because she couldn't break out of the genjutsu do you think she could have lived with herself? You know that every life she can't save she takes personal. If she thought, she was the reason why you died it would have killed her. I thought you knew her better than that." Genma took a deep breathe trying to calm down. Kakashi was his friend, he didn't want to completely destroy him, but he was so pissed he had hurt Sakura that the words came out before he could stop himself. "What if she resigns from Team 7 over all this?"

Kakashi felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. The question had been in the back of his mind since Sakura had slapped him in the hospital. It had taken so long for Sakura to even agree to be in the same place as Sasuke, what if she couldn't handle being around both of them. She already had a jounin partner, she didn't have to be on a team if she didn't want to. "She wouldn't, Team 7 is her home."

"Is it? Because every single one of the original members have left her at one point or another. When her parents died you weren't there. When she was promoted to chunin you weren't who she celebrated with. I helped her train to get into jounin, not you. All you guys show up a year ago and act like nothing has happened. You bastards don't get a free pass. Team 7 doesn't get to claim responsibility for her success. Team 7 doesn't have claim on her."

"I wasn't there then, but I am here for her now. We are her team Genma. She's not yours to claim either." Kakashi's hands balled at his sides.

"No, no she isn't. That's why when she came to me eight months ago and wanted to apply for anbu I didn't hold her back." Genma said, a smirk slowly developing as he watched the copycat ninja eyes widened.


	6. Chapter 6

Three hours later, multiple drink glasses litter the tables. Once Ino had calm down about the festival the ice had been broken and everyone was able to talk freely. The waitress had just cleared the table of all their food plates, and several of them were feeling the buzz pretty hard.

"So, Sakura-chan I have to ask, is that the same seal as the Hokage's?" TennTenn giggled as she played with her straw in her drink.

"Yeah" Sakura blushed feeling the side effects of the couple drinks she had. "Took three years but I was finally able to achieve it on our last mission."

"That's amazing. I heard it took Tsunade years to be able to do it. To find that you unlocked it in just three years is truly incredible. Shizune hasn't even been able to do that." TennTenn gushed over her friend happy for her recent success. TennTenn and Sakura had grown close over the years. Sakura had gone to Guy for help in stamina and the two girls found themselves running together every morning for about a year.

"I only unlocked it so quickly because I had Tsunade to guide me." Sakura smiled. "Besides I heard that you were just put up to partake in the next weapons master exam. If you pass that your one step closer to being able to train your own team."

"I was. I take my test in three weeks. Guy Sensei hasn't left me alone in weeks. Once he heard about the test it has been nothing but the power of youth this and the power of resilience that. I'll be happy when my green cheerleader calms down a bit."

The girls giggled and continued to exchange stories back and forth. Hinata had begun her training as the clan heiress last month and Neji was helping her learn her new role. Ino had begun working with her father, learning how the sensory unit worked in large combat roles.

Shikamaru had begun getting involved in the political aspects of the village and interclan relations. Though he complained that it was a drag, he was natural gifted at it and Sakura had a feeling his father was conditioning him to take over as advisory to the Hokage, when Shikaku was ready to retire. Sakura felt a little guilty when it came to Shikamaru's new found career goal. When she had returned to the village with Sasuke, she had run to Shikamaru for help. She knew she needed the clans help into order to spare Sasuke's life, she also knew if the Nara clan backed her so would the Yamanaka and Akimichi. Shikamaru had helped her file the necessary paperwork during the trail and allowed her access to his family's library. Shikamaru hadn't questioned or even hesitated when Sakura had asked for help, and once his dad had seen how naturally it came to his son, well he was going to push Shikamaru even if he didn't want to be.

Naruto was telling a story about the time Team 7 tried to see Kakashi's real face when Sakura became lost in thought. She looked at everyone sitting at the table and couldn't help but smile. Sakura had missed everyone terribly and had felt guilty for asking for everyone's help and then pretty much disappearing for six months. Their generation was a special one. Their graduating class had many of the future clan leaders. Ino, Choji, Shikamaru, Hinata, Shino and Kiba would all one day being leading the new will of fire. Neji was a Hyuga protégée, and no doubt one day be an anbu captain. Rock Lee had overcome the impossible, and one day would surpass Guy and become the best taijutsu in all the nation. While TennTenn was on her way to becoming the best weapon mistress this village has seen in years.

That left Team 7. Naruto's dream was to one day become Hokage. He was already a household name in the village and was quickly winning the approval of several powerful clans. Sakura felt another sting of guilt when it came to her best friend. Last year while at Genma's house she had stumbled across a photo album that had been stuck in a desk and forgotten about. Sakura had flipped through it and had seen pictures of Genma during his days of Hokage Guard Platoon under the fourth. She had found a photo of a young Genma standing in front of Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage. The resemblance was uncanny, there was no mistake, Minato was Naruto's father. Sakura had gone to Tsunade and asked if she knew, she did and order Sakura not to tell Naruto. Tsunade said something about ignorance was bliss, but Sakura wasn't sure if she agreed.

"Sakura!" Naruto shouted across the table and Sakura jumped. "Are you even listening? I was asking how the new children's hospital was doing."

Another blush stained her cheeks at being caught deep in thought. "Sorry Naruto," she sighed sitting up straighter in her chair. "It's going well. The last round of training is almost done. I'll be glad when that's done. Then I finally won't be stuck there 24/7."

"You feeling alright?" Shikamaru asked, concern flashing in his eyes.

"Yeah. Just getting tired is all." Sakura placed her hand on Shikamaru's thigh under the table and gave him a little squeeze. She wasn't lying, she didn't want him to worry.

"Well I would imagine after your last mission, you would still be feeling the side effects of your battle." Shino spoke. "Not many people can drain their charka almost completely and be back on their feet in just a few days."

"How did you know-" Naruto went to ask.

"How do I know? Because people talk, that's how." Shino answered in a matter of fact way.

"Yeah, all the town keeps talking about is how you four returned home. It's not every day we see one of our stronger teams come home so beaten up." Choji's eyes bounced between Sakura and Shikamaru. "The rumor going around is that you blew out your charka coils Sakura-chan trying to save Kakashi-sensei."

Sakura's grip on Shikamaru's thigh tightened. This was not what she wanted to be talking about. He was the last thing she wanted to talk about tonight. Sakura went to answer when surprisingly Sasuke cut her off.

"It's no one's business what happened on that mission." His tone full of authority as if his word was final. Sasuke had seen her tense at the change of topic, and he didn't like it. He thought the unspoken rule about tonight was that the mission was not to be brought up.

"It is our business if our friend got hurt because of something one of her comrades did." Neji said glaring at Sasuke. Sasuke himself had already confirmed they had left her to not only defend herself while hurt, but also an unconscious Kakashi.

"What are you implying?" Sasuke growled.

"Knock it off." Sakura said slamming her hand on the table, several of the shot glass fell over. "No one is implying anything." Her eyes drifted to Neji. "Naruto and Sasuke both felt after I order them to. Once Kakashi became unconscious, I took over command." Sakura could see Sasuke smirk in the corner of her eye. Her attention turned to Sasuke "and there is nothing wrong with asking your friends if they're alright after a mission has gone south." Sasuke smirk disappeared.

"I guess it's not surprising that the town is talking about us. Me and Sasuke did kinda burst into the hospital with two teammates knocked out and bleeding, screaming for help." Naruto grinned sleepily.

"So, it is true Sakura-chan? Are you alright?" Choji asked again hoping not to get his head bite off by the seething Uchiha.

Sakura pulled her hands from underneath the table and held them out in front of her for everyone to see. If they looked hard enough, they could see her hands slightly shaking. "Yes, but Lady Tsunade said that my body is slowly repairing the damage. I just have to be a bit patient" Sakura gave them a small smile before lowering her hands back under the table.

"Thank goodness." Hinata smiled.

"I think that calls for a round of shots for celebration." Ino said already waving over the waitress before anyone could stop her.

* * *

Thirty minutes later with another round or two in everyone's system, Naruto was beginning to wonder who had started their game of truth or dare. At the moment several people where missing, being to 'manly' to pick truth, several of them had chosen dare. Rock Lee was currently running around the village in nothing but his sandals and green spandex pants. Sai had been dared to go home and grab his most provocative piece of art he had. Choji had agreed to take a shot for every chip he ate, and Naruto was pretty sure Choji was getting close to passing out.

Kiba had just returned from getting slapped by a woman at the bar. "Thanks, Ino." Kiba mumbled rubbing his check.

Ino was giggling so hard, she was spilling her drink. "Sorry Kiba, I really thought if you went up to her and said, 'I might be a dog but at least I know how to treat a bitch right' that she would've been all over you." Ino patted him on the back, "Sakura and I take getting called a bitch as a badge of honor."

"Whatever." Kiba huffed and took his shot before turning to Naruto. "So Naruto truth or dare?"

"Dare you better believe it." Naruto ignored the sinister look in Kiba's eye, there was nothing Kiba could throw at him that he couldn't handle.

"I dare you to not eat ramen for a whole month." Kiba's grin spread wider as Naruto's color drained from his face.

"What-No-I pick truth."

"Sorry Naruto that's not how that works," Ino said sticking her tongue out. Yes starting this game of truth or dare was turning out to be very satisfying.

"Fine," Naruto crossed his hands over his chest, and scanned the remaining players at the table. Sasuke, Neji, Sakura, Shino and Shikamaru hadn't been pick on yet. His eyes slide to his best friend sitting next to him, "Sasuke truth or dare."

"Truth." Sasuke wasn't going to be doing anything stupid, he had more pride than that, and whenever Naruto was involved in it was always something stupid.

"Who's your best friend?"

"You, you idiot." Naruto threw his around Sasuke and trapped him in a hug.

"Awwwwwwwww I knew you loved me!" Naruto cried as he tightens the hug. He always was extra emotional when drunk.

"Get off me you dobe." After a second or two Naruto retreated back to his own seat. Sasuke now placed in an awkward situation, while he had befriended most of the people sitting at this table, he wasn't comfortable enough to ask any of them questions, so he turn to the only person he thought would be a safe bet. "Sakura, truth or dare."

Sakura's eyes narrowed slightly at being called out. "Seeing that I probably couldn't do whatever dare it is you pick I chose truth."

Sasuke thought about it for a moment. He was slightly surprised she hadn't told him to fuck off and chose another person. "If you weren't a shinobi, what would you do?"

Shocked flashed across her features before she could stop it, but as quickly as it appeared, she had it under control, and her calm and cool facade was up. "I haven't really thought about that."

"Oh, come on Sakura-chan what kind of answer is that?" Naruto whined.

"I don't know. Since I was a little girl all I've ever wanted to be was a shinobi. I come from a civilian clan, yet somehow, I was able to manipulate chakra. After all these years I honestly don't know what I would do if I wasn't a shinobi." Sakura's answer was bitter, because just four days ago that had been a very possible reality.

"You're a great doctor Sakura-chan, I'm sure you would've ended up doing something great in the hospital." Hinata smiled at Sakura as she spoke, because Hinata truly did believe Sakura would've ended up doing something special with her life even if she didn't become a ninja.

Sakura grabbed her glass and look a sip. "Thank you Hinata, but as much as I like the civilian aspect of the hospital, it could never replace the rush of the E.R. or I.C.U. I am finding that I enjoy being more of a field medic than anything else."

"Aw come on Sakura-chan. We all know that if the ninja life hadn't work out, you could've married a powerful shinobi and popped out a couple of kids and been happy." Kiba joked, and the whole table fell silent.

Sakura's breathe caught in her throat. _He didn't mean it. He doesn't know._ Sakura tried to reassure herself, but it wasn't working.

"Apologize now!" Ino shrieked as she elbowed Kiba hard in his ribcage.

"What the fuck Ino?" Kiba growled as he clenched his side. "When we were genin all you two ever talk about was becoming Mrs. Uchiha and making your own little families."

 **Crack!**

Blue liquid started to run across the table from the broken glass. Sakura had gripped the bar glass so hard she had shattered it.

"Damn it" Sakura mutter as she slowly stood up. Her right hand was slightly bleeding, and there was glass over the front of her. Shikamaru was quick to grab napkins and started to brush the glass off her.

"Sakura-I I didn't mean to offend you." Kiba said standing from his chair and throwing napkins on the table to soak up the spilled drink. "It's just you've always been so good with kids. You would make a wonderful mom." And while it was meant to cheer her up all it did was thrust a knife into her heart.

"Your bleeding" Sasuke said catching her hand. Sakura blinked at him in surprise, she hadn't seen him move from the other side of the table.

"I'm fine." Sakura said jerking her hand out of his. She didn't want to be touched. Kiba wasn't wrong, when Team 7 first formed it was her dream to become Sasuke's bride and the mother of his children, but now even if all those things hadn't happened between them, that was no longer an option. Even if Sakura wanted Sasuke to pick her, he never would.

"Ino would you mind healing her hand?" Shikamaru said moving to the side, cutting off Sasuke's access to her.

"No, no its okay." Sakura said flashing her signature fake smile. "I'm just going to go to the restroom and wash it out, its just a couple cuts. Shika can you hand me my crutches." Within seconds he had handed her the crutches and she had turned and began walking toward the bathroom down the hall.

"Would you like me to go with you?" Ino asked already walking her way.

"Its alright Ino. I'll be right back." Sakura's answer stopped Ino in her tracks.

The waitress had seen the glass break and was already at the table with a busser, cleaning up the broken glass and spilt liquid. Once she left everyone fell back into silence. Even Naruto was at a lose for words. He had seen through her fake smile and nonchalance. That comment had hurt, yet Naruto didn't understand why.

"Ino why did she get so upset?" Kiba asked, a guilty look in his eye. He hadn't meant anything bad with his comment. They were messing around, nothing was supposed to be taken seriously.

"Women aren't just baby markers." Neji answered. "Many kunoichi chose not to have children. You shouldn't assume that Sakura would even want a child."

"She did," Hinata's quiet voice answered. "About a year ago, she had mentioned wanting a child. We were talking about her new children's hospital, and somehow it got brought up." Hinata was trying to come to Kiba's defense.

"Things change" Ino answered sadly sitting back in her chair. This wasn't how she wanted the night to go. She wanted Sakura to relax and enjoy some time with her childhood friends. The last four get togethers they had thrown Sakura hadn't shown up. Either she was stuck at the hospital or out on a mission. And after the last couple days Ino knew how bad Sakura needed this.

"What are you taking about?" Sasuke hadn't sat back down. No, he was to pissed off. Something had happened that he wasn't aware of. He was missing a piece to something.

"Nothing Sasuke. Just people change their minds, Sakura has been so involved in her studies and training that maybe she chose to forgo that life." Ino hoped he would drop it, because she was not about to explain to everyone sitting at this table why that comment had upset Sakura so much.

* * *

The wind made her hair dance all around her as she made her way to the red bridge. Spring was just around the corner, but winter still had claim to a few more chilly nights.

As she made her way closer to the training grounds Sakura started to feel bad about leaving everyone back at the bar, but she couldn't take it anymore. Kiba wasn't at fault. He didn't know, if he had the comment would've never been made. But Sakura was already feeling emotional, and she refused to break down in front of the whole Konoha 11. She had cried enough over that problem, shedding more tears wasn't going to repair the damage done back in the Sand.

Sakura had chosen to stand in front of Lady Chiyo. She chose to take the hit, knowing damn well it could have and probably should have killed her. But what Sakura hadn't chosen was to have one of her ovaries completely damaged and the opposite fallopian tube sliced. Sakura hadn't even realized what damage had been done until three months after the mission ended. She hadn't had her period and was experiencing terrible mood swings. When Tsunade discovered what was wrong they both cried over what could have been and then proceed to get shit face drunk until neither one of them could remember why they were upset in the first place.

When Sakura had told Ino, Ino asked if she could redo it again would she still protect Lady Chiyo. Would she knowingly give up her chance of having a child to protect an old lady that was going to die later that die regardless? Sakura had surprised even herself with her answer, she said yes, even if she had to do it over again, she would still protect Lady Chiyo, because Chiyo saved Gaara. The future alliance with the Sand was more important than her ability to have a child of her own. Ino had called it silly, but Sakura felt Gaara's life was more important than her ability to produce one. Gaara had so much taken from him, it wasn't fair. Just as he was starting to enjoy life the Akatsuki came and took it all away.

The red bridge came into view and she quickly dismissed those thoughts. What's done is done. Tomorrow she would seek out Kiba and apologize for freaking out tonight, but for now she was done thinking about it. She had other issues she needed to focus on.

Carefully, Sakura leaned her crutches against the railings and took a deep breath before leaning against it herself and staring at the little creek down below. This tiny red bridge had somehow ended up being the meet up point for Team 7. Back then things were so simple. Back then the worst mission they could have gotten was having to go after that stupid cat that somehow kept being able to run away from his owner.

A slight smile crossed her face as she thought about Sasuke and Naruto getting scratched up by the little fur ball. Back then they thought they knew what a team was, but they had no idea. Sakura balled her hands as the bad memories started flooding to the front of her mind. Orochimaru marking Sasuke in the forest of death. Itachi attacking Kakashi and Sasuke. Naruto and Sasuke fighting on top of the hospital's roof. That damn cold bench that she wanted to destroy every time she walked by it. The look in Naruto's eyes when he said he would be leaving on a training mission. And then there was Kakashi, he had taken off without even saying good bye.

One day she had her whole team, the next she was left all alone.

So much had happened in those three years, to much, and she faced most of it alone. Yes, she had found people who loved and supported her, but its not the same as having your team to fall back on. Genma had been a godsend and the last two years had been better, but still not without cost. Then all of a sudden Kakashi and Naruto were back in the village, and they all acted as if nothing had happened. They were all a pretend family again, and even added Sai and Yamato into the mix. Things were good. Sakura was happy.

Her boys had been home almost a year when she was sent on that mission where she ran into Sasuke. The four-man unit was never meant to run across a Sound base, but when they had stumbled across it, it had been too good to pass up. Every member was a jounin, Sakura being the least experience, it shouldn't have been a problem. They had no idea that it was still being used as a hideout and that the missing member of Team 7 would be stationed there. If it hadn't been for Radio's limited knowledge of medical ninjutsu, Sakura would've died out in the field.

Then when they returned to the village, all hell broke loss. Naruto had been sent out on another short training mission with Jiraiya , so when Sasuke was brought back home, the only people left to defend him was Sakura and Kakashi, and Kakashi had been deployed on a mission the first half of the trail. When Kakashi returned she was finally able to catch her breath and that's when the problems started. The psychological trauma Sasuke had caused using the Tsukuyomi against Sakura had been devastating.

The only person who was able to make it bearable was Kakashi. Itachi had used Tsukuyomi against Kakashi years before, Kakashi was the only one who could relate to what Sakura was going through.

Sakura couldn't remember how many times she had run to Kakashi's apartment and let herself in seeking some kind of comfort. If he wasn't home, she would sit on his bed and take deep breathes, inhaling his deep green forest smell, and somehow that helped calm her down. Kakashi had become her safe space. The first few weeks, Sakura had fallen asleep crying in Kakashi's arms begging him to make the pain stop. After she had gotten over the first stage of recovery, Sakura still sought Kakashi out whenever they were both free.

Kakashi had been the one prepping her to be reintroduce to Sasuke, so Team 7 could finally be whole again, making it Konoha's best combat team. Kakashi had been the one to sit still for hours allowing Sakura to become comfortable with the sharingan again without fear of being attacked. Kakashi had been the one she chose to talk with about what had happened. They talked for hours, taking about what Sasuke had done while under the control of Orochimaru. If at any point she began to emotional to go on Kakashi would hold her and let her cry until she had centered herself enough to continue again.

Her hands tighten around the bridge's railings as a string of curses threatened to leave her mouth. She had become to dependent on Kakashi. She should have known better. It didn't matter what training she did, she would always be weak! If Kakashi could turn against her like that, what stopped Naruto and Genma form doing the same thing.

Sakura turned and slowly slide down the railing until her back was against it and she was sitting down. Very careful she stretched her bad leg out in front of her. Her body hurt. The pain killers had worn off the last hour at the bar and now that her system was breaking down the alcohol she had consumed, her buzz was fading. She pulled her good leg up to her chest and bent down to rest her head on it. Her hair fell from behind her shoulders, creating a little bit of privacy.

The tears started before she could stop them. She was so tired of being broken…


	7. Chapter 7

He hadn't meant to find her. He had been on his way back to the memorial stone when he sensed her charka signature. He wasn't sure if he should confront her or not. Genma's words were still being played in his head and he was still pissed off. He was pissed off at Genma, at himself and at Sakura. Why hadn't she gone to him when she wanted to apply to anbu? Had she gotten in? Kakashi couldn't remember seeing the tattoo on her arm, but then again, she could've worn makeup to cover it. Kakashi was upset that he hadn't been involved in this aspect of her life. He had already missed so much, and when the team reunited, he tried to make up for lost time, but it seems as always, he was too late.

Maybe it would be better is she left Team 7 and just had a jounin partner. The thought saddened Kakashi, but Genma was right Team 7 had no claim to her. Maybe she was being held back on that team. Team 7 had already damaged Sakura once before, it had no right to continue to do so.

Kakashi was about to leave when he heard a small sob escape the petite kunoichi on the bridge and he froze in his spot. Kakashi hadn't realized she had been crying. He was so sick of hearing her cry. Every night for the last three days he had stood in the trees and heard her pain and did nothing about it. Did he have a right to do something about it? He had caused it. He should be the one to fix it, right?

But Kakashi had been so afraid that Sakura would push him away. Call him a monster. Tell him she wanted nothing to do with him every again. Kakashi didn't know if he could handle that.

"Just go away I'm not in the mood to talk" her voice called out into the quiet night. How had she sensed him? He had hidden his charka signature, there was no way. Before he could jump down from the trees a figure appeared on the bridge standing next to Sakura.

"That's fine." Sasuke replied sitting across from her on the bridge. "You don't need to talk." Kakashi was shocked, he hadn't sensed anyone else in the area, but she had.

The two teammates sat together in silence for several minutes. Sakura hadn't bother to lift her head from her knee and Sasuke hadn't made a move to get closer. Kakashi felt this whole thing was wrong. He shouldn't be watching this private moment. Whatever was about to happen he didn't have right to witness, yet he couldn't seem to make his body move to look away.

"I'm sorry" Sasuke whispered. Sakura stiffened at the words. When she didn't speak, he continued, "I'm sorry for what happened between us. If I could do things over, I would have never left."

"But you did." Sakura lifted her head, her eyes were puffy and red, but the tears were now gone. She wouldn't give Sasuke the satisfaction of seeing her cry. "You left. You turned yourself over to the most wanted man from Konoha."

"Sakura I-"

"You what?" She asked bitterly. "You needed to get stronger so you could kill your brother. I know. That's all you were focused on when we were genin." Sakura shock her head. She was tried, but if Sasuke was wanting to talk, then she was going to lay it all out in front of him. This wasn't just her burden to bare anymore.

"You talk as if you can understand." Sasuke huffed out, anger growing in his heart. She didn't understand, no one did.

"That's the thing Uchiha, you act like you're the only one who has suffered loss." Sasuke went to protest when Sakura sent him a glare shutting him up. "Naruto has never had parents, he has never had a family. Sai was taken at birth and thrown into an organization that taught a child how to kill, but not what it meant to love or be loved. Kakashi's mother died when he was a baby, his father committee suicided before he was even a teenager. Both of his teammates where killed in action during the last great ninja war and his sensei died protecting the village from the nine-tails attack. You are not the only one in the village that has had everything taken from you. Kakashi tried explaining this to you before you left, but you were deaf to his words. To focused on the fact Naruto had progressed faster than you."

Sasuke was silent, ever since he returned from the village people had been tip toeing around him. During the trail it had been revealed to everyone that once he had been given the cruse mark Orochimaru had been able to take control over Sasuke's body for short periods of time. Once he had made it to Sound, throw in brain washing, body control and promises that could never be kept and Sasuke didn't stand a chance. Sakura had painted the whole ordeal in such a light that Sasuke came out looking like a victim, and since many villagers already hated Orochimaru and since so many shinobi were glad to have such a special kekkei genkai back in the village, everyone went along with it.

"Have you ever apologized or thanked them for saving your ass?" Sakura asked, her eyes locking with Sasuke's.

"Hn" was Sasuke's only reply.

"Choji, Kiba, Neji, Shikamaru, Rock Lee and Naruto all almost died while trying to get you back when you first left. If Tsunade and Shizune hadn't been here, or if Tsunade hadn't sent out a team of jounin as soon as they were available, they would have died. When we had your trial every single one of them testified in your favor. Ino, Hinata, and Shino all stepped forward and spoke in your favor on behalf of their clans. Sasuke if you had been anyone else, regardless of what happened to you as a child, regardless of kind of special kekkei genkai you had, you would have been killed on site."

"I didn't ask them to do any of that." Sasuke snapped back.

"No, I did."

"Why?" Sasuke was surprised Sakura was willing to talk with him. This was the first time they had truly talked since he was returned to the village. Sasuke needed to understand why she had fought so hard for him. He didn't deserve it. "After everything that happened. After I almost killed you in battle, why you would you go through all that effort to spare me?"

"Because you guys were my family, and I protect my own. Even if you didn't deserve the second chance, Naruto did. You almost destroyed Naruto. When he returned from that failed mission, he questioned his ninja way. When we ran into you with Yamato and Sai, Naruto stated how could he be Hokage, if he couldn't even save his friend. Naruto deserved better even if you didn't. After you left, I made Naruto promise to bring you back. I called it a once of a life time promise, and when he failed, he couldn't look me in the eye. That promise became worse than a cruse mark. Everything Naruto has done up until this point has been to get you back, to save you from your own darkness."

"I didn't know" Sasuke confessed.

"You didn't know because you didn't care to ask Sasuke." Sakura huffed. "You left this village because you thought we were weak. You left because you thought the only way to get stronger was to seek out an evil power. Naruto and I would have helped you complete your goal. I understand you want to kill your brother on your own, but we could've helped you get stronger. We could have gotten stronger together, instead of us each going our own way."

"I didn't think it would work."

"No, you just didn't want to face the fact that you were so focus on your revenge you ignored everything else." Sakura reached out and tapped her forehead, her fingers lightly touching her new seal. "Naruto and I tried telling you from the very beginning that you weren't alone. That we were here to help you, to love you, to support you. We pushed ourselves in our training so one day we could stand together and prove to you we were strong as a unit."

"What happened to you?" Sasuke asked staring at her. "You were the weakest one on our team."

"Yet the weakest member took you down. I'm not stupid Sasuke. My charka reserves aren't as big as yours and Naruto's, but that doesn't make me any less of a ninja. When everyone left, I turned to those around me. I trained with Guy-sensei, and his team. Rock Lee and Guy helped improve my stamina and taijutsu. TennTenn exposed me to a number of different weapons. Neji helped me with chakra control. Kurenai-sensei helped me develop my genjutsu. I used to spare against Hinata, Shino and Kiba at least once a week. Asuma-sensei helped me with bukijutsu. Shikamaru helped with strategy. Lady Tsunade taught me medical ninjutsu and showed me exactly what I could do with my kind of charka control. As I worked more and more missions, I discovered even more jounins and chunins who were more than happy to help me in any way they could. When Team 7 disbanded, I turned to my fellow comrades for help. That's what happened."

Silence fell between them once again. Kakashi was at a lose for words. He had no idea she had sought out so many other teachers. Asuma, Kurenai, and Guy had never made a single comment about it. It was no wonder so many people were pissed at him and Naruto when Team 7 was reformed. Sakura had become loved and protected by many. Kakashi had no doubt if she was getting help that she was helping them out in areas she could as well. It seems their cherry blossom had built up her own personal network of highly skilled shinobi.

"Will you ever forgive me for what happened?" Sasuke asked in a quiet voice.

"I'm working on that Sasuke, truly I am. Our battle, lines were crossed. We both played dirty, and for that I apologize. I think one day I will be over what happened, but I don't know if I could ever trust you again. I look at you and I am reminded of all the hurt, of all the distrust and lies."

"On our last mission, you trusted me to watch your back, how is that any different? You were able to look at me while my sharingan was activated and didn't have to look away."

"That's different Sasuke. Out in the field I know you're not my enemy. Out in the field we are a team. But once we get back inside the village walls its hard to be able to tell who's my enemy and who's my friend. You don't completely trust me either. You look at me and don't see the old Sakura. You look at me and aren't sure what to think. But if you want trust, you going to have to give some away." Sakura voice held steady. The words didn't come out bitter. It felt go to finally get some of this off her chest. "Our battle destroyed a part of me, and I am still trying to fix that. But don't give yourself so much credit. I've been hurt worse before. I've been torn down before, but I've always been able to build myself back up."

"Who hurt you?" Sasuke asked concern clear in his voice.

"You guys reappear in my life and just see the finished product. You didn't get to see all the times I was injured. You weren't there to see the aftermath of a failed mission, or the lose of a teammate." Sakura sighed and then very slowly stood up. Sasuke was quick to stand, ready to help her if necessary. "My chunin promotion was a field one Sasuke. After the Sound attack happened our ranks took a hit. Within a couple months of you leaving I was promoted after a mission had gone south, and by some miracle I had been able to save my team. I got recommended for the jounin exam after I was sent out with ten team members and only four of us made it back."

"I didn't know-"

"SAKURA!" A voice yelled out and both Sakura and Sasuke turned to a jounin running up to them.

"What's the matter Radio?" Sakura slightly giggling at the out of breath jounin.

"What's the matter you ask?" Radio gave her a glare. "You told Genma that you would be with Ino at the bar. He went to check on you only to find Ino drunk at the bar and you no where in sight. He has me, Ebisu, Izumo and Kotetsu searching everywhere for you. You promised you wouldn't be left alone tonight."

"I wasn't. Sasuke was with me." Radio turned his glare from Sakura to Sasuke. Yes, Radio knew exactly who Sasuke was, and like Genma, he wanted him nowhere near her.

"Fine. Besides the point, your mother hen is losing it. Can I please escort you back to your apartment?"

"We aren't done talking." Sasuke stated taking a step closer to Sakura. He was finally getting her to open up, he wasn't going to let someone stop it. There were still things he needed to say to her.

Radio squared his chest and stood in front of Sakura. "Come on cherry, its late."

Sakura sighed knowing she wasn't going to win this battle. "Another time Sasuke." And with that Radio touched her shoulder and they flickered off the bridge.

Sasuke turned toward the trees, his eyes bleeding red until he landed on his target. There Kakashi was leaning against one of the trees in the beginning of the tree line. "Any reason why you felt the need to listen to our conservation."

Within seconds Kakashi appeared next to Sasuke, "I was making sure she was alright."

"She's not." Sasuke answered flatly, turning to walk away from his teacher. "Do something to fix it," and with that disappeared into the night.

* * *

"You're healing nicely Sakura. How are you feeling?" Tsunade asked taking a step back from her number one student. Tsunade had requested Sakura to meet her at the hospital to do a formal check-up. She wanted to check Sakura's stiches on her back and check her ribs and doing that in the Hokage Tower was to risky. Sakura needed to be shirtless for the checkup and to many people randomly came into her office without knocking, so that was not an option.

"Much better M'Lady. It still hurts a little to breathe and I can't stand on my leg for more than thirty minutes without it hurting, but I'm getting there." Sakura smiled brightly at her master. The only reason why she was feeling better was because of all the work Ino and Tsunade had been doing. Ino stopped by once a day to work on healing her leg, and every other day Sakura went to Tsunade who did a deeper healing, checking to make sure her charka coils were functioning properly.

Tsunade picked up her clipboard and scribbled her notes down, while Sakura pulled over her long-sleeve. Sakura hadn't changed back to her combat uniform yet, she wasn't cleared, and that uniform showed more injures than Sakura wanted the average person to know about. So, she had opted for a tight fighting black jounin shirt with back skinny jeans and her sandals. The bruises on her neck and face were still here but Ino had brought over some kind of concealer this morning that seemed to be able to hide most of it.

This morning Sakura had woken up a little refreshed. After talking with Sasuke the night before, she felt a little better. She had kept so many things in, it was nice to be ale to put some of the blame back on him, to make him responsible for his own actions. She hadn't slept peacefully, or without nightmares, but she hadn't woken up screaming in the middle of the night. Genma had eyed her this morning during breakfast not really sure what to do. He thought maybe Ino had been right with getting her out of the house, so after breakfast they had went to the market to do some much-needed grocery shopping.

Sakura had run into Kiba and Genma had stepped away to give them their privacy. She had apologized for leaving the night before and for ruining their game. Kiba had went to apologize for the comment when Sakura stopped him saying they were all making fun of one another, and that she needs to work on having thicken skin. They had hugged and Sakura promised the next time they all got together the first round was on her for ruining the night.

"What did the anbus find?" Sakura asked once Tsunade put the clipboard down. Once Sakura and Genma reached the hospital he had been called away to a security meeting, and Sakura knew something was wrong.

"Sakura" Tsunade paused not really knowing how the right way to phrase this would be. She knew her student was going to be pissed, and a pissed of Sakura was as dangerous as a pissed off Tsunade. "The anbus discovered why you and your team weren't able to detect their chakra signatures. One of our best sensory units stumbled across a substance that had been spread all over in a two-mile radius of where the attack happened."

"A substance? But surely Kakashi or Sasuke would have seen that with their sharingan." Sakura was confused, there was no way a substance could hide that many people and not get detected. "If it had any kind of smell Kakashi would have smelt it."

"The lab is analyzing it as we speak. We have never come across it before, the only reason it was able to be detected is because an anbu had accidently touched it and when he became unable to be sensed, the sensory unit discovered the clear substance on his arm. It seems it only needs a tiny amount in order to work."

"Why was I not called to the security meeting?" Sakura asked standing up. If her master thought she was going to be able to keep any of this away from her, she had another thing coming.

"Calm down Sakura, I'm not hiding anything form you. I wanted you to attend your check up, Genma will brief you later." Tsunade took a breath and patted Sakura's head. "In the meeting its being announced they are after a fellow leaf shinobi."

"Are they being noticed exactly who they are after?"

"Not yet. Anbu knows its you, and a handful of other specialized jounin are being notified as well. But as far as Team 7 no. I don't need Naruto and Sasuke in my office 24/7 demanding to be sent out to deal with this threat." Tsunade watched the way her student's face relaxed and then hardened again. "Is there any particular reason you do not wish Kakashi to be informed?" Tsunade almost regretted the question when she saw Sakura flinch at his name. Something had happened on that mission that neither one of them had included in their reports. "Sakura what happened?"

Sakura looked down at her hands in her lap. She didn't want to look her master in the eye, she was to ashamed to admit that she had let a man get the better of her. Yes, Kakashi using his sharingan against her had brought up a lot of undealt feelings about the whole Sasuke situation, but what had hurt the most was the trust that had been broken by Kakashi. She had been out of the hospital for five days, and she hadn't even seen a flash of sliver. It hurt. It hurt a hell of lot more than her broken ribs and leg. Sakura would've thought Kakashi would've been by to at least try and apologize. The last couple days Sakura had bounced between pissed off and completely hurt and she wasn't sure if she wanted to hug him or punch him.

"Kakashi refuses to state anything more than what he wrote in the report. Naruto and Sasuke confirmed that when they regrouped with you two, you were walking away from the field, with Kakashi unconscious, with his arm thrown over your shoulder and you dragging the both of you back toward the trees. "

"I was trying to get away incase there were others in the area," Sakura spoke softly still not

willing to look at her master. When she had killed their 'client' her only thought had been to find cover for Kakashi and then regroup with the boys. She was drained and running on auto pilot. When Sasuke and Naruto got to them it was all she could do to pass Kakashi to Sasuke before passing out. "We hadn't sensed any of the enemy ninja. I wasn't certain there wasn't more lying in wait to pick us off once we grew tired."

"Its not in your report, but I know Kakashi used the sharingan against you." Tsunade paused as Sakura's eyes shot up and locked with hers. Sakura hadn't told anyone besides Genma that, and she knew for a fact he hadn't told Tsunade. "Yamato came to me concern for both of you. It seems Kakashi confessed while in the hospital. He isn't aware that I know. I'm wanting to get your side of it before I talk with him."

"M'Lady it is something I would like not to discuss." Sakura hadn't even told Genma what had happened in that illusion. Sakura needed to understand what had caused Kakashi to cast that particular illusion.

"Do you still wish to be apart of Team 7? Once Sasuke is off probation, he can take your place on the team. Sasuke, Naruto and Sai could become a team. You would be freed up to work in the hospital or in two-man cells with your partner."

"Naruto would be crushed if I left. We just got Sasuke back." Sakura said, Naruto's bright smile and big blue eyes flashing in her mind. She couldn't do that to Naruto. He just got his family back.

"We didn't get Sasuke back." Tsunade said coldly taking a seat in the hospital chair. "You brought him back. You almost died breaking the seal Orochimaru put on him. You are the one who got the council and elders to agree to spare his life. Not Naruto. Not Kakashi." When Sakura didn't say anything Tsunade continued. "You have been the only original member of Team 7 to not run away from the team. Naruto and Sasuke both left to get stronger. Maybe it time you took a break from your genin team Sakura. You don't owe them anything. Naruto would understand if you needed to take a step back. These last six months Naruto has been so far up Sasuke's ass that you and your needs have been ignored. You need to do what's best for you, not what's best for Naruto."

"Can I have time to think about it?" Sakura asked her voice soft. Maybe her master had a point. Maybe it was time to close this chapter of her life and begin a new one.

"Of course, but I would like an answer before we clear you for active duty again." Sakura nodded and Tsunade nodded before standing and walking out of the room. She only wanted the best for Sakura, but Sakura was to caring to a fault. Tsunade wanted Sakura to pick herself for a change and screw all the boys who hadn't pick her.

* * *

His sandals squeaked slightly as he walked across the hospital's halls. The smell of bleach threatened to overtake his sense of smell and his ears filled with the voices of chatty nurses at their stations and the beeping of machines in the surrounding rooms. He didn't like the hospital. He avoided it at all cost until Sakura, Ino or god forbid his mother found him injured or sick, and then a trip to the hospital was the only way to stop all the nagging.

It was late afternoon, almost three o'clock, meaning the nurses were about to be changing shifts and it was more likely he would be ale to drag her away from her office. He hoped the passion tango iced tea lemonade that he had brought with him would serve as a nice bragging chip, because they really needed to talk.

The security meeting had only ended about twenty minutes ago, and while they hadn't been told who the target was, it wasn't hard to connect the dots. Especially not after seeing Genma tensing in the meeting or his melt down last night when they didn't know where she was. Someone was after his friend, and he wanted to know why.

Somewhere along the way Sakura had become one of his precious people, and he'd be damned if he sat back and did nothing if she was in danger. When the meeting ended Genma and several other older jounin had been asked to stay, and before Shikamaru could even turn to walk out of the room, Genma was at his side asking for a favor. Shikamaru had agreed quickly, commenting he would do it even if it was a drag, but the truth was he was already going to see Sakura. Genma asking him to watch over her while he was in the meeting, all but confirmed what he already knew. Someone was after Sakura.

Using his free hand, he gently knocked against her office door and was quickly invited inside. "Shikamaru!" She smiled looking up from her stack of papers she had been working on. "What brings you here?"

"What? An old friend can't stop by to say hello?" Shikamaru asked as he placed the drink on her desk.

"My favorite drink? Oh, now I know you want something from me." She said reaching forward and snatching the drink before he could take it back. She took a long sip of the drink before turning her attention back to him.

Shikamaru had sat in one of the chairs in front of her desk and was staring at her, his eyes lingering on the purple diamond on her forehead. "Why are there people after you?"

Sakura almost chocked on her drink and Shikamaru's bluntness. Sakura wasn't even going to try and deny what he was talking about. They had known each other for a long time and the look in his eye told her he wasn't going to drop this. She set her drink on her desk and crossed her arms over her chest. "I have no idea. My attacker just said my lover is what got me into trouble. But I have no idea what they are talking about."

"Could it be Kakashi?" Shikamaru asked flatly.

"Why would it be Kakashi?" Sakura asked narrowing her eyes. She could his pretty brain was hard at work, trying to make something out of nothing.

"Come on Sakura. The last two months you two have particularly attached at the hip."

"That doesn't mean anything. I was around you and Genma just as much. I've been hanging around a handful of men, it could be anyone they were referring to." She argued, trying to change the direction of the conversation.

"But how many of those were you going to their house in the middle of the night?" Shikamaru asked, ready to dodge if Sakura went to hit him. Normally he would have been more tactical about this kind of thing, but that would never have worked with Sakura. In order to get through to her he always had to be straight to the point.

"How did you know about that?" Sakura asked, making no move to hit him.

"People talk Sakura. Not very loudly when it comes to you, but there were still whispers about it here or there."

"I wasn't sleeping with him." She defended.

"I know." He answered

"When the nightmares got to bad, or a panic attack started, I went to Kakashi. All he did was help me clam down." Sakura said, her eyes quickly glancing at her genin picture on her desk. "Sasuke was living at Naruto's so he was not an option and Genma didn't understand. Genma tried, but he was so mad at Sasuke that I didn't want to make it any worse by showing him how bad it had gotten."

"Why didn't you come to me?" Shikamaru asked, trying to hide any sign of hurt in his voice.

"I couldn't burden you with anything more than I had already did. If you hadn't been there at the start of the trail, I would have lost. Sasuke should have never been your problem to begin with, I couldn't go to you and ask you to fix everything that was wrong. It was a Team 7 problem."

"I would have Sakura." Shikamaru said standing up and walking to her side of the desk, before dropping on his knees in front of her, taking her hands. "You should have told me someone was after you last night. If I had known I would have never let you leave alone."

"Shika I was ok-"

"No, you weren't" he quickly cut her off. "You were upset, hurt and unable to use charka. Damn it Sakura! I may not be a member of Team 7, but I am here for you. Whatever you need. Me helping you isn't a burden. It's not a drag."

Sakura squeezed his hands tight. "You're right I'm sorry." Shikamaru pulled her forward and into a tight hug.

"You know you're going to have tell Neji. If you wait any longer he is going to make the connection himself, and we both know he wont be as nice about it."

"Yeah, yeah" Sakura agreed pulling out of the hug.

"I'm guessing the rest of your team doesn't know." Sakura shock her head no. "Troublesome women" was his only response, as he stood up, pulling Sakura to her feet with him. "Come on, I want to watch the clouds while you explain what you have gotten yourself into."

* * *

Author's Note: I just wanted to tell everyone thank you very much for all the support. I love reading all your comments, it really encourages me to continue to write this story. Please let me know what you guys think.


	8. Chapter 8

Shikamaru and Sakura hadn't even made it out of the hospital before Neji appeared before them demanding to know what the hell was going on. Shikamaru had been right, the Hyuga prince had been pissed at being kept in the dark, but his anger quickly melted when he saw the look on Sakura's face. She was scared.

Scared and Sakura were not normally words you would use together, not anymore at least. Once Team 7 dissolved Sakura had developed some back bone and confidence. With her team gone, she had no one to hide behind, she was forced to get her hands dirty, forced to face her problems head on and she was a better person for it.

The last time Neji had seen that look on her face had been right before Sakura was promoted to chunin. Neji, Shikamaru and Sakura had been sent out on a simple scroll retrieval mission. Shikamaru had been appointed the leader for the mission and had only been a chunin for about two months. The mission required them to travel to the land of waves and pick up a scroll giving an update on how the village was recovering after Gato had been killed and the bandits were no longer controlling the village. When they got there Sakura had said she could see the improvements. There weren't any children in the streets. The food vendors had fresh produce. The cost of the items in stores were at a normal price and new buildings were being built all over the place.

The retrieval of the scroll had happened with no problems. After dinner at the bridge builder's house their team had left at nightfall. They were about a day away from the Leaf when they had run into a group of rouge ninja. It seemed word had finally spread that the Leaf village had been attacked and almost completely destroyed, and these ninjas where there to see what they could collect.

Being out number and out ranked, their team had no choice but to fight. There had been five of them, all ranked chunin or jounin; and with their team consisting of two genin and one chunin their odds hadn't been favorable going into the fight. But the three kids had all inherited the will of fire and they weren't going to back down. Neji and Shikamaru had been separated from Sakura, leaving her with one enemy and them with the other four.

The boys fight had been long. The only thing saving their asses had been Neji's Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven and Shikamaru's brilliant mind that kept them from dying. That is until the two boys had begun to run low on charka. After an hour of fighting, and with no sign of Sakura, they had believed she had been over taken by the enemy and killed.

So when the fifth enemy regrouped with the shinobi they had been fighting, Neji and Shikamaru both had to fight back the urge to attack with their blind rage to avenge their teammate's death. But suddenly the fifth member was slapping explosive tags on the back of two of the enemy and detonating the tags. They were killed instantly and when the fifth member hit the ground, it poofed and there was Sakura. Injured and beaten up, but alive no less.

Tears had been flowing down her checks and she look terrified, but she was quick to her feet rushing to her teammates' sides. After killing three of their members the remaining two were no longer holding back. Neji was quickly taken out, chakra exhaustion passing him out from over use of his eight trigrams palms. Sakura had motioned for Shikamaru to take off into the trees, flashing the sign for trust as she did, and he took off without question.

As soon as Shikamaru had made it half way into the tree, he saw the number four craved in the bark of a tree and he knew instantly what Sakura had planned. When his foot hit the fourth branch, the enemy right behind him, he went diving to the forest floor as another round of explosive tags and traps went off. The enemy dodged the fatal attack but not before being wounded with senbons in his upper thigh. Shikamaru and the enemy continued to fight for another fifteen minutes before he realized something was wrong. The enemy ninja wasn't dodging his weapons as quickly as he was before and was having a hard time moving.

The poison Sakura had coated the senbon with were finally taking effect, and the delayment in movement finally allowed Shikamaru to get the up hand, using his shadows he was able to hold the enemy still while he rammed a kunai through his heart. He had been Shikamaru's first kill. Shikamaru knew that sooner or later the poison would wear off and being a day away from the village meant there was no way they could bring in the enemy before he recovered.

When Shikamaru returned to the clearing he found Sakura covered in blood standing in front of Neji protectively, a kunai in her left hand, while her right arm hung limply at her side. The enemy ninja he had left with Sakura was twenty feet away from her, a kunai stuck in his neck. Once they regrouped and the adrenaline wore off Shikamaru quickly passed out as well, having over done it, leaving Sakura to protect the three of them form any more enemy that happened upon them.

Both boys woke up when Genma and Aoba were pulling them out of a tree. After Shikamaru had passed out Sakura had carried each one of them a mile away from their fight and hide them as high as she could in a tree. Once both boys had been secured, she layered a misdirection genjutsu over them, so any one passing by wouldn't see or sense them. Sakura had sat alone and scared in that tree for two hours before she sensed three shinobi nearby.

When she went to investigate who the presences were, she discovered Genma, Aoba and Radio. Their team had been sent out to investigate a report that a group of rouges had been camping in this area by the broader. To say Sakura had given them a fright had been an understatement. When she revealed herself begging for them to help her teammates the three veteran shinobi were a little shaken. They knew exactly who this girl was. She was their friend's only female student and they were rushing toward her before she could even explain what had happened.

Her nose had been broken, her right shoulder dislocated and both arms had second degree burns; not to mention she was covered in blood. While the two jounins grabbed the boys out of the trees, Radio did his best to heal Sakura. When he popped back in her shoulder, she let out a scream and then went silent. The weight of not only killing someone for the first time, but realization that there would be no Kakashi-sensei coming to save the day or Naruto popping up and preforming a miracle was finally hitting her.

When Shikamaru and Neji regrouped with her, they could see the effect their recent fight had on her. She was shaking, and silent tears still rolled down her face, but when they finally approached her, she smiled at them and then entrapped them in a big bear hug. That was the moment that created their friendship. They were beaten, they were hurt, but they were alive, and they had survived as a team. Relying and trusting on one another to have their backs.

Genma and his team investigated the bodies of the enemy ninja they had killed and confirmed that they were the shinobi they had been sent to deal with. Their mission had been A-ranked, a mission no chunin, no genin should have ever been on. When Genma asked how they did it, both boys turned to Sakura for an explanation. She was still to shaken up to give a full answer, all she said was that no matter what her teammates were going home. Not she, not we, just her teammates. Sakura had no intention of making it out of that fight, she knew she was out matched, but she wasn't going to allow her teammates to be killed.

The three older veterans were at a lost for words at her explanation. Genma had to carry Sakura home, her charka levels to low to travel. The three kids had been dropped off at the hospital and when Tsunade had come to check on Sakura she threw a chunin vest at her saying she couldn't have her new apprentice being a genin.

That had been the last time Neji had seen Sakura scared.

Even after bringing Sasuke home, Sakura never looked scared, she just looked sad. But this was different. It wasn't obvious, when you looked at her posture, at her face she looked perfectly fine, calm even. But her eyes were glossed over. Something or someone had their cherry blossom frightened and when he found out who he was going to make them regret it.

Currently the three of them were on training ground nine, Shikamaru's favorite cloud watching spot. The training ground was pushed up against a hill, so few teams ever really used it. The sun warmed Neji's face as he looked up at the sky trying to see what Shikamaru found so amusing about this activity.

Shikamaru was laid down, his hands under his head for support. Sakura was laid next to Shikamaru, her head resting on his stomach as her pillow. Her bad leg stretched out in front of her in a comfortable angle. Her chest rose and feel in deep even breaths, having fallen asleep on Shikamaru about thirty minutes ago.

"She is withholding information from us." Neji said as his eyes moved from the sky to Sakura's face. "Do you think she knows why they are after her?"

Shikamaru was silent for a moment. Right before they had run into Neji, a nurse had come into Sakura's office with a break down of the substance used in her attack. As Sakura read the report her eyes widened slightly. "Most likely. You know how she is. Troublesome woman doesn't like to get anyone else involve until she is sure."

"She's gotten herself into something again, hasn't she?" Neji eyes finally left Sakura and locked with Shikamaru. "Just like in Suna. She has gotten involved with something she shouldn't have."

"If they were going to use Sakura to lure out another shinobi there was a number of other ways to do so. Why requested her entire team? Why not request a two-man cell? If they had that many shinobi, it would have been easy to take out Genma and go after Sakura. A four-man team, with each member being highly skilled and known throughout the nations doesn't make any sense."

"Could it have been a test?"

"What do you mean?" Shikamaru sighed bringing one of his hands from behind his head to rub his eyes.

"See her strengths and weaknesses. Or to leave her injured, just to try again later."

"There is no way the enemy knows she blew her charka coils. That happened after she had killed her attacker." Shikamaru placed his free hand on the top of Sakura's head, removing a stray piece of hair out of her face. "The only way the enemy would know is if they had a source inside Konoha."

"If someone from the Leaf is after why not just attack after a long day at the hospital? Her reserves are normally so low after her fourteen hours shifts; it would have been easier to attack then." Neji couldn't understand the reasoning of the unknown threat.

"Whatever is about to happen, we need to be ready." The two men shared a knowing look. If their pink haired friend was in danger, the enemy would have to go through them first, before they ever got the chance to touch her.

* * *

"So, is anyone going to explain exactly who these pricks are after?" Radio asked annoyed. "How are we supposed to plan a course of action if we don't know what their objective is?"

Grunts and mumbles were heard around the room, showing the rest of them agreed with Radio's comment. These men weren't used to being kept in the dark. The first meeting had been so vague, most wonder why it was even held in the first place. All that had been stated was that an unknow enemy was after a fellow leaf shinobi for unknow reasons, and that an unknown untraceable substance made the enemy undetectable.

"That's why you all were called here." Shikaku Nara, the Jounin Commander commented. "The Hokage wishes to keep the identify of the leaf shinobi as limited as possible."

"Any particular reason why?" Aoba asked looking around the room. Only the Tokubetsu Jounin had been asked to stay. Something big was happening, if the elite and clan leaders were the only ones allowed to know the targets identity.

"The Hokage seems to think that the enemy is unaware that we know who the target is. We are hoping to set a trap. That's why only a handful of people are being notified, we cannot allow it to leak." Shikaku said walking to the front of the briefing room. They had moved from a large room to a smaller sound proof one. The table was circular, so everyone had a clear view of everyone else and at the front of the room was a large projector screen. The screen turned on and a picture of the battlefield appeared.

Genma had to fight to urge to slam his hand on the desk. He wasn't happy that they were going to use Sakura as bait. A string of curses threatened to leave his mouth as his eyes roamed the image. He could see patches of blood, blood he knew belonged to Sakura, scattered throughout the field. He could see the indent in the grass where the enemy had picked her up by the neck and slammed her into the ground.

"What are we looking at?" Anko asked straining her eyes. "Stop dicking around Shikaku and get to the point. I have shit I need to do today."

Shikaku ignored Anko's disrespect and crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes looking around the room. Genma, Radio, Anko, Ebisu, Aoba, Choza, Tsume, Inoichi, Hiashi, Shizune and Shibi occupied the chairs around the table while Ibiki stood against the wall in the back. "This was the aftermath Team 7 left behind from their battle. Everyone is aware that their team came under attack with no warning, and with no nation claiming responsibility. After looking at all the data and reading their mission reports, it seems their team was targeted."

"Which one of them are they after?" Ebisu asked, his eyes locking with his childhood teammate. Genma hadn't said one word during either meeting but Ebisu could feel the killing intent rolling off of him in waves.

"Sakura Haruno." Shikaku answered before flipping to the next slide. The slide was comprised of multiple photos showing Sakura's injuries. The cut of her back, her broken leg, the charka burns running up and down her arms. The bruise marks around her neck and upper thigh. The shallow cut across the top of her breasts.

"Why are they after her?!" Radio shouted slamming his hands down on the table. "Why were we not notified sooner? Team 7 returned over a week ago!" Radio's loud voice bombed in the small room.

"We didn't know the enemy was after a specific target until five days ago when Sakura woke up." Genma said with a calmness he certainly didn't feel. "Sakura said that before she killed her attacker, he stated that she said been their mission."

"Do they want her alive or dead?" Anko asked, her eyes still on the images on the screen.

"Alive." Genma said turning his head away from the monitor, he couldn't stomach to look at it anymore. "Sakura believes they intended to use her as bait to lure out a male shinobi."

"The enemy plans to use her to get to her male teammates. How pathetic." Tsume growled, her fangs slightly showing. "They thought she would be a weak target to go after, but it seems she gave them a run for their money."

"Not without injury." Shizune commented before signaling Shikaku to change the slide. The new slide showed the field Naruto and Sasuke had fought in. The trees had either been burnt or broken. Ninja tools littered the forest floor. The enemy ninja's bodies left behind, their blood turning the glass to a crimson red. "At the moment Sakura is unable to use charka. On their mission she blew out her chakra coils from over use, and her body while recovering, is taking time."

"So, she is a sitting duck. Great." Anko shocked her head. "Genma, is there any way these people are after the kid because of who she is instead of who she knows?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean she is the apprentice to the Fifth Hokage. Teammates of the nine-tail jinchuriki and the last two remaining Sharingan users if we ignore Itachi. Sakura has ties to the Nara, Hyuga, Yamanaka, Akimichi, Inzuka, and Aubrame clans. Not to mention she is the fucking ambassador to Suna. And on top of all that she is your partner, and you alone have a list of enemies a mile long. If someone was looking to start another war, Sakura would be the perfect bait for that."

"Regardless of what they want from her, we aren't going to just hand her over." Inoichi said looking at Shikaku. "Why were the members of Team 7 not called to either meeting?"

"They are unaware that there is a threat against their teammate. Sasuke doesn't have the clearance for the meeting, while Naruto has never been known for being quiet about sensitive topics."

"Where is Kakashi and Yamato?" Aoba asked confused. "Both are retired anbu operatives, is Sakura is in need of protection, her senseis would be an ideal choice without being to obvious to an onlooker."

"Kakashi is recovering from their mission as well." Genma said through gritted teeth. "For the moment the Hokage believes keeping them in the dark is best. At the moment I am staying with Sakura under the cover that she is hurt and needs help. However, we need a way to strength our board control. If twenty ninjas slip in under our noses it wont matter if someone is guarding Sakura or not."

The slide switches to a blue print of the wall surrounding the village and for a moment they ignore that one of their dear friends is in danger and focus solely on strengthening the wall. While the members of the room talked among themselves, they missed the sounds of a pug running through the air ducks.

* * *

"Dobe where are we going?" Sasuke called out to his blonde hair teammate as they moved throughout the market. Sasuke was already in a sour mood. Naruto had just finished dragging them all around the village looking for acceptable clothes for the festival. Sasuke didn't even want to go to the festival, but Naruto had made a big deal of it, saying it was the first festival they could attended as a reunited team 7 and since Sakura was off duty she wouldn't be stuck in the hospital.

Sasuke would have been lying if he said he didn't want to see Sakura dressed up for the occasion. Ever since last night, he couldn't get her image out of his mind. They had finally talked. She hadn't told him to fuck off when they meet up on the bridge. She could have remained silent; she didn't have to talk with him. But she had. At the bar, she had sat across from him, and while he knew she was very aware of every movement he made, she hadn't made someone switch seats with her. Maybe they were finally at a turning point.

He wanted to have some kind of relationship with Sakura. He wanted at the very least to be able to be her teammate. Sasuke had been struggling staying away from her. The second month he had been home, he spent waiting outside the hospital in the shadows, making sure Sakura got home from her shift okay at the end of the day. Late at night he would walk by her apartment to ensure she was home safe and sound. Being kept at a distance was driving him crazy.

Inoichi said at his last psych appointment that it seemed he was finally willing to repair the bonds he had broken when he left the village. It had been five months since a new seal had been put on Sasuke. Kakashi's original seal was to damage from his time in the sound, so a stronger more complex seal had been placed on top. Sasuke had been sedated at the time, but when he woke up he could already feel the difference within himself. He no longer heard the snake whispering in his ear, and he was finally feeling emotions besides anger and greed. He actually felt human again.

"I wanna find Sakura-chan and see if she wanted to go to lunch with us. Sai is supposed to join us once Ino is done shopping for him. Poor bastard has no idea what he has gotten himself into." Naruto started laughing, never once stopping to see if Sasuke was even following them.

"How do you even know where they are? She wasn't at home or in her office at the hospital." Sasuke snapped back. He couldn't sense her in the near by area, how did Naruto know where she was.

"If I find her in the next five minutes you pay for lunch, if I don't, I'll pay." Naruto said with a spilt eating grin. He wasn't going to lose he knew exactly where she was.

"Whatever. Just remember no ramen for a month." While Naruto's smile was now gone, Sasuke suddenly found him just a little bit more bearable."

* * *

His heart pounded against his chest as he made his way to the training fields. He hadn't been able to track her by charka, her levels still to dangerously low, but her scent was easy enough to track. His dogs had spent countless hours with her, everyone of them loved her dearly, and knew her scent almost as well as his own at this point.

When Pakkun had explained what the meeting had been about he saw red. Why hadn't he been invited to the meeting? Did the Hokage really think he wouldn't have noticed the hawk flying around, summoning the different individuals for the two meetings? He did bring his nose out of his favorite book every once and a while, and the Hokage's move hadn't gone unnoticed.

Kakashi was also beginning to question why Genma hadn't thrown the fact Sakura was in danger in his face last night. Genma would have had every right to throw it in his face and then tell him he had failed Sakura in more ways than one. If Kakashi had swallowed his pride and fear sooner, he could have done something. He should have been the one comforting Sakura on the bridge, not Sasuke. He should have been the one helping her get through the nightmares, not Genma.

He should have been there for her. He had promised her she could always go to him no matter the problem. He had promised that she wasn't going to be left behind again.

He had promised her a lot of things.

Kakashi finally reached the training grounds, and there was his pink hair student with her "other" team. He quickly calmed his rapid breathes before walking over to the hill side. Sakura was still resting her head on Shikamaru, but her eyes were open and staring at the sky. She was naming off different objects she could see in the clouds, with Shikamaru trying to see if he could see the same images and Neji sitting next to them sharping his kunai.

"Sakura" Kakashi said her name softly, almost hesitatingly.

Sakura jumped at the sound of his voice and quickly stood, the other two boys standing with her. She mentally berated herself for not having sensed him before he approached. Her heart began pumping harder, she wasn't ready for this conversation. She had wanted to see him these last few days, but now that he was in front of her, she didn't know what she wanted.

"Can we talk?" Kakashi asked after Sakura didn't acknowledge him. Her eyes shot down to the ground the moment she stood. She wouldn't look at him. Both boys behind her stepped closer to her, Shikamaru putting his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it slightly.

"We have nothing to talk about sensei." Sakura said bitterly. Tsunade's words still replying in her head, maybe it was time to walk away from team seven. Maybe it was time for a clean break.

"Sakura-" Kakashi said taking a step closer to her.

"No!" Sakura yelled as she turned away from Kakashi. "The time to talk was five days ago Kakashi. I don't want to hear it." Sakura went to walk away from Kakashi when he reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Please Sakura, we need to talk…I need to explain to you." Sakura could feel the warmth of Kakashi's hand seeping into her skin and she couldn't bring herself to step away. "Please five minutes is all I ask."

"Sakura-chan I can walk you home if you want." Shikamaru said squaring his shoulders and locking eyes with Kakashi. Sakura hadn't told Neji and Shikamaru that something had happened on her last mission between them, but neither man was liking her reaction right now. Regardless if he was once her sensei or not, neither Shikamaru nor Neji were going to let anyone hurt her.

"I…" Sakura paused not knowing what she wanted to choose. She could feel Kakashi close the space between them a little, the grip on her arm tightened slightly. "Five minutes. Five minutes is all you get." Sakura sent her two boys a smile.

"Your sure?" Neji asked, and she nodded yes. Both boys sent a nasty glare at Kakashi before poofing off the training grounds. Kakashi could sense them at the beginning of the tree line, waiting for their time to be up.

"Sakura, I need you to understand why I had to do that," Kakashi spoke softly as he placed his free hand on her shoulder. Sakura stiffened at the contact but didn't pull away. "I couldn't let you get hurt while protecting me."

"Why?" Her voice barely above a whisper. The storm of emotions hitting her at once.

"I'm promised to always protect you" Kakashi realized to late he had said the wrong thing. Sakura was turning around and pushing his hands off her, before shoving him backyards.

"You promised a lot of things!" Sakura screamed at him, never once letting her eyes move above his shoulder blades. "You promised you would never underestimate my skills as a medic!" She shoved again harder. "You promised you would never under value my worth as a kunoichi!" Kakashi was shoved back another few steps. "You fucking promised never to use the sharingan against me!" Tears slide down her face as she shoved him again. Her crutches were long forgotten about on the ground and she struggled to stay up right, but she didn't care. "You promised you would never hurt me!" Her hands balled his shirt.

"I'm sorry." Kakashi didn't make a move to defend her shoves.

"You're sorry?" Sakura asked again her voice sounding so broke. "You almost died because you couldn't trust me, and all you can say is sorry?"

"If something happened to you, I couldn't live with myself."

"You fucking stupid selfish bastard!" Sakura screamed again. All the hurt, all the pain and confusion was finally being unleased. And god damnit Kakashi was going to sit there and let her scream at him until she was blue in the face because he needed to understand what he had done. "You think I could have lived with myself if I had let your died! You were almost healed when you fucking used your sharingan." Sakura let go of his shirt and stepped back.

"I-"

"Why did you do it?" Tears rolled freely down her face. She didn't care if she looked pathetic in this moment or not. She wasn't going to hide her pain from him.

"I wanted you to regroup with Naruto and Sasuke. You would have been safe with them." Kakashi stepped closer, his hand moving to wipe the tears off her checks, but she jerked at his closeness and he retracked his hand as if he had been burned.

Sakura shocked her head. "That's not what I'm talking about. Why did you k-iss me?" A sob broke through her as she tried to calm down. "Why would you do that and then try to convince me you had died with my name on your lips?"

Unable to take her tears, Kakashi stepped forward and trapped her in a hug. Just like he had done a hundred times before when she had came crying to him. He tightened his arms when he felt her lean her head against his chest, her hands balling his shirt again. He could feel her tears wetting his jounin shirt. "I didn't think I was going to get another chance to do it."

"I don't understand." She hated how small she sounded. For five days she had been trying to understand.

"I don't understand it completely myself. Sakura you have always been a precious person to me, but over the last couple months we have gotten closer than I ever thought possible. I thought when the team dissolved, I missed my chance at being a part of your life. But when the team reformed you welcome us backed with open arms. When you needed help you came running to me, just like you did in your genin days. Seeing you in that much pain broke me and I couldn't understand why until I was bleeding out."

Sakura stood in silence. She hadn't moved to hug Kakashi back. Her feelings toward Kakashi had changed over the last six months. "Why did you wait five days to come talk with me?"

"I was afraid. Every night I stood outside your window trying to build the courage to go see you."

"Every night? You heard me having nightmares every night since we returned, and you didn't come talk to me because you were afraid?" Anger quickly pushed down her hurt. "These last five days have been hell. Do you have any idea how it feels to put all your trust in one person, only to have them shatter it in the matters of seconds?" Sakura slowly pulled out of the hug. "I put all my trust in you. You were my sensei, my friend. You knew what I was most afraid of, and yet you still used it against me. I can't even bring myself to look into your eyes. At least with Sasuke I expected to face his sharingan when we fought. But never in a million years did I think I would have to fear yours."

"Sakura-"

"Why are you here? What has changed in the last five days for you to finally swallow your pride and come talk with me?" Sakura quickly wiped her tears away as she waited for a response. Her anger making her tears dry up quicker than any tissue could.

"There is someone after you." Sakura stiffened at his words. "I came to find out why."

"That's none of your concern." Sakura turned and walked the few steps back to her crutches before picking them up and sliding them under her arms.

"You're a member of my team, it is my concern as your commanding officer."

"Not anymore." Sakura said evenly as she walked pasted Sakura. "Effective tomorrow I am not longer a member of Team 7"


	9. Chapter 9

"What do you mean you are no longer apart of Team 7?" Bright blue eyes bounced between his two teammates that had just been yelling at one another. They had been so focused on their conversation they hadn't sensed him approaching. Sasuke was still back at the beginning of the tree lines with Shikamaru and Neji, a confused look on all their faces.

"Naruto" Sakura started but then stopped. She didn't know how to explain this to him. He had finally gotten his family back and she was about to tear it apart.

"Sakura-chan I don't understand. I thought you and teme were finally getting along. What? Why?" Naruto could already feel the tears forming in his eyes.

"This has nothing to do with Sasuke." Sakura said walking to Naruto. Very carefully she stiffed so her weight was on her good leg, before reaching up and brushing away Naruto's unshed tears. "I just need a break for a little while Naruto. These last few months I've been spreading myself to thin. And there is no telling how long it is going to take for me to recover."

"But Sakura-chan we will wait for you. Just because you are hurt doesn't mean you have to quit the team." Naruto whined while pushing his check into her hands. "We are a family Sakura. We are all we have left."

Sakura closed her eyes and took in a breath. She could already feel the guilt of her decision weighing her down. But she had made a choice, and she knew in the longer run this would help the team more. Especially when he came to collect on his promise.

"Think of it more as a break Naruto. Just because we are not a formal team does not mean I am not here for you whenever you need me." Sakura looked over Naruto's shoulder and could see Sasuke walking this way. _Great. Just fucking great._ She sent a pleading look at Neji and Shikamaru, but they were to busy glaring at the person behind her.

"But what are we going to do without you?" Naruto was staring into Sakura's eyes trying to understand. They were finally ready to be a team again. Sasuke was going to all of his therapy. Sai was making an effort not to start fights between the three of them every ten minutes and Yamato had finally decided to stop hating Sasuke for everything that had happened.

"What does he mean without you?" Sasuke asked stopping to the left of Naruto. "Where are you going?" Sakura didn't answer, and instead withdrew her hand from Naruto, adjusting her crutches so her leg no longer had any pressure on it. "What did you do?" Sasuke asked angerly as he stepped closer to Kakashi. "What happened on our last mission between the two of you?"

Kakashi remained quiet. "He didn't do anything Sasuke." Sakura said flashing a smile. "Between the work at the hospital and my mission details I no longer have time to be on a four-man team."

"So, you're leaving us because you don't have time for us anymore." Sasuke stated bitterly.

"Its not like that. These last couple months my other duties have been put on the back burner. You two have to understand before you both came back to the village; I already had another team. Genma and I are partners. Its not fair to Genma. He cannot be sent out on anything higher than a B without a partner. I can't ask him to keep waiting for me."

"Genma would understand. We are a team Sakura-chan." Naruto flashed her his puppy eyes thinking he could sway her discussion.

"Yes, Genma would understand, but that's not the point. Once Sasuke is off probation you guys will be a whole squad. There are other things you two need to focus on. I've already passed my jounin exam. You two should focus on finding another member to form a team for the next round of chunin exams. Eventually we would have been split up either way. When you enter the exams, you will be pulled from active duty."

"Why were you crying?" Sasuke asked finally locking eyes with Sakura. "Your eyes are red and puffy."

"I'm fine Sasuke. My pain medication is just making me emotional. I got upset telling Kakashi-sensei that I was leaving the team." Sasuke's gaze left Sakura and locked in on Kakashi. He was turned to the side and was refusing to make eye contact with anyone. "Naruto you guys were looking for me. What did you need?"

"I wanted to see if you wanted to join us for lunch." Naruto's voice was quiet, and Sakura hated it. She wanted him to be loud and overbearing. "Neji and Shikamaru can come to if they want. Sai and Ino were going to meet up with us after shopping."

"That would be wonderful" Sakura said already beginning to walk away back toward her other boys. "We better get going if we don't want to get stuck waiting for a table." Naruto gave her a smile, already walking away with her.

"Kakashi-sensei we would love to have you come too." Naruto called over his shoulder.

Sasuke and Kakashi remained silent as they watched their two teammates walk back toward the trees. Once they were out of sight Sasuke spoke. "You used your sharingan against her on our last mission." It wasn't a question, no it was a statement. "When you two were arguing she wouldn't make eye contact with you, even when Naruto and I walked up she wouldn't turn to look at you."

"This doesn't concern you Sasuke." Kakashi said coldly.

"Do something to fix this or sit back and watch someone else do it." Kakashi understood Sasuke's second threat very clear. Kakashi had been the one to teach his team to read beneath the underneath.

* * *

"Sakura hurry up and come on out I wanna see it!" Ino shrieked in the small boutique. Ino and Sai had joined Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke and Shikamaru for lunch. Neji had quickly dismissed himself once they returned to town, having a clan meeting to attend. Though Shikamaru had joked that Neji just didn't want to have to deal with his annoying blonde teammate.

Lunch had been civil, almost nice. They had all meet up at a pizza place, Naruto being banned from eating ramen, meant that they were finally able to eat somewhere besides Ichiraku's. Surprisingly it had been Sai to recommend the pizza place. It had opened a couple weeks ago and was becoming popular.

At lunch Sakura had let it slip that she wasn't sure if she was going to attend the festival or not. Ino and Naruto were quick to argue and whine, to the point Sakura had no choice but to agree to going. Though that meant she had to find something to wear. The dresses she normally wore wouldn't due. Sakura wanted something that still cover most of her injuries. The festival was in six days, there was no guarantee she would be healed by then. Her charka levels were very slowly rising, but to Sakura it felt like it was happening at a snail's pace.

"Ino I don't know." Sakura called from the fitting room. Ino stood outside her door with several other dresses gathered in her arms. Shikamaru and Sai were off in the men's section, trying to find Shikamaru something to wear. Sai had commented after shopping with Ino all morning he had idea what Shikamaru might like, leaving Naruto and Sasuke waiting outside the dressing rooms with Ino, having already found their clothes.

"Come on Sakura-chan I'm sure you look stunning." Naruto tried to encourage his teammate to make an appearance. So far Ino had made Sakura try on several, in his opinion sluty dresses, and Sakura hadn't come out once to show what she looked like, much to his disapproval. While Naruto had gotten over his childhood crush of Sakura, that hadn't meant he was blind. When Naruto finally came back to the village, Sakura's skills hadn't been the only thing that had developed in his absence. Sakura was no longer the flat chested genin she once was.

The door opened from the dressing room and Sakura stepped out wearing a white dress that fell about mid-thigh. The dress was tight fitting, with sleeves that came down to her wrists, completely hiding the burn marks. The sweetheart neckline dipped a little lower than what Sakura was used to, but it was still tasteful. Sakura twisted slightly and the light caught the glitter embedded into the dress, making her sparkle. The dress was simply beautiful, and it look as if it had been tailored made for Sakura's curves.

The length drew attention to Sakura's thick thighs and full calves, making her tone legs look longer than they actually were. The color made her hair and eye stand out. The tightness showed the curve of her ass and breasts.

"If you don't buy this dress I am." Ino said with a little bit of cheer to her voice. She carefully hung up the other dresses she had picked up, no longer needing them, and stepped closer to Sakura. "How would you wanna do your hair? Up or down?" Ino stepped behind her and twisted her chair up into a simple bun, letting a few hairs fall forward to frame her face, giving Sakura an idea of what it could look like.

But when Sakura looked in the mirror, she didn't see the beauty of the dress. All she saw was the reminders that she had failed her last mission. With Ino holding her hair up, she could still see the outline of her attacker's hands, even threw the concealer. The low-cut design showed the shallow cut on her right breast where the enemy had tried tearing away her shirt. On her left thigh showed the bruise where he had shoved his knee in-between her legs, when he had slammed her into the ground. The left side of her leg had a nasty bruise from when she fell in her bathroom.

"Stop it" Sasuke said firmly, catching everyone off guard. Sakura glance at Sasuke through the mirror. "Yes, it shows your injuries, stop looking at them. You were hurt on the mission. So were we. It doesn't mean you need to hide them. You didn't lose the fight."

"You look beautiful in that dress Sakura-chan." Naruto smiled as he looked at Sasuke, surprised at his words.

"Ino do you like it?" Sakura asked still uncertain.

"Yes forehead, and I even think I found the perfect earning when we first walked in." Before anyone could stop her, she took of in search of the jewelry. With Ino's hand now missing from Sakura's hair, the long pink locks quickly fell down around her back.

"When did you start growing your hair out again?" Sasuke thought out loud, not really meaning to. When they had fought, she had it pulled up in a bun, and on the mission she had it in a high pony tail. He hadn't realized how long it had truly gotten until they returned to the village.

"Right after I was promoted to chunin. I always liked it longer, easier to keep it pulled back than when it short."

"Then why did you continue to keep in short even after the forest?" Sasuke didn't know what had gotten into him. He was never this talkative, but she was finally talking with him after all these months. Once she started, he didn't want her to ever stop.

"It was a promise to myself. I wouldn't grow my hair long until I had proven myself. When I cut it in the forest it was my low point." Sasuke simply nodded and Sakura turned and walked back into the dressing room, clearly not wanting to talk about it anymore.

Naruto stepped closer to Sasuke, slightly elbowing his side. Maybe they were at a turning point. So maybe they weren't going to be a team for a little while, Naruto much rather have them talking to one another than for it to go back to how it was.

By the time Ino returned with a matching set of sparkly sliver earrings and necklace Sakura was already changed back into her pervious clothes. Naruto was holding her dress still smiling like an idiot. Shikamaru and Sai had rejoined having found the suit Shika was going to wear next week. Sakura and Ino both agreed that they liked the suit the two boys had picked out. When it came time to pay Naruto almost plowed her over trying to get to the register first.

"What are you doing Naruto?" She asked as she tried to hand the sales girls her money.

"Put it away Sakura. I'm buying you the dress." He quickly handed his money and when Sakura moved to snatch the jewelry out of his hands Sasuke had beat her to it, sending her a look telling her not to question it. The sales girl shared a nervous smile, her eyes bouncing between the famous team 7 as Sasuke gave her the necessary payment.

"Why on earth did you two do that for?" Sakura asked stepping to the side so Shikamaru could pay for his.

"Think of it has an early eighteen birthday present Sakura-chan." Naruto smiled as he grabbed the jewelry from Sasuke and put it in the same bag as the dress. She glanced at Sasuke, who's only response was a shrug.

"Thank you" she said as a slight blush spread across her checks.

"Awww Shika how come you and Choji have never done anything like that for me!?" She whined as they exited the store.

"Because neither one of us is stupid enough to go shopping with you, that why."

Ino stuck her tongue out at her teammate. "So, what do you guys have planned the rest of the day?" The shopping alone had taken them a little over an hour, having it around three o' clock.

"I don't want to kill your fun, but I was actually going to head home." Sakura said a shy smile on her face. "I've been on my leg far too much, any longer and its going to buckle on me. But please, if you guys wanted to do something don't let me stop you."

"I'll walk you home Sakura," Shikamaru said already stepping closer to Sakura.

"We got it." Naruto called out, looking at Sai and Sasuke.

"No I really don't need anyone to walk with me-Naruto put me down!" Sakura yelled at her knuckle head teammate trying to stop him, but it was no use she was already up in his arms being carried bridle style. The shopping bag had been handed off to Sasuke, and Sai picked up her crutches. Naruto had already start walking off leaving Shikamaru and Ino in front of the store.

"How come you and Choji never carry me home!?" They could hear Ino whine.

"Because you're to loud troublesome women."

* * *

The boys had finally left her apartment. After placing her on the couch and making sure she had everything she needed, she finally convinced them she was going to take a nap and that she couldn't do that with three people staring at her. Sakura knew Genma was going to be pissed when he came back, but she needed to be alone. She was running out of time.

With her crutches leaned against her front door, Sakura carefully stood and made her way into her bedroom. Very carefully she opened her closet door and sat down. Allowing a very small amount of charka to pool into her fingers she ran them across the floor until the hidden drawer opened. Sakura pulled out the scroll she kept stashed away and got to work.

No one knew she had this, and she prayed she never had to use it. But something deep inside her told her that time was quickly approaching. If someone had told her a year ago that she would have gotten herself wrapped up into this mess just by going through a couple boxes, she would have laughed. Because what damage could a simple journal really cause? Apparently, the next ninja war if she wasn't careful. She hadn't meant to come across it, but once she had read it, it was her duty as a loyal shinobi to investigate the claims stated in it. And once she had proven one of the claims to be true, there was no turning back.

The information she now knew would change Konoha forever. But she couldn't reveal it just yet. A grime smile tugged at her lips as she thought about Sasuke's secret password from the chunin exam.

"A ninja waits until the time is right. When the enemy is asleep and lowers his guard. When his weapons lie forgotten in the darkness of the night. That's the moment for a ninja to strike."

Her moment was fast approaching and when it came there would be hell to pay.

* * *

"Absolutely not." Genma argued as he folded his arms across his chest. If he had known she was going to pull this stunt he would have never taken her to the tower.

Honey colored eyes meet green. "Sakura can you go over that one more time without any interruptions."

"I do not see the point of a babysitter. While I am beyond thankful for everything you have done for me Genma, it's becoming counterproductive. If I am supposed to be used as bait, they have to think that I am unguarded. Having my partner attached at my hip is going to prolong whatever they are planning or change the course of their actions. If they are after me, let them come after me. I don't want anyone else getting hurt in the process."

"I'm not going to just hand you over to them Sakura." Tsunade said calmly, looking between the two partners.

"I'm not asking you too. The next few days I am planning on spending my time at the hospital, finishing training and going through my paperwork that has gotten backed up. What better place to have me protected than a place swarming with shinobi? No one would think twice seeing me spend long hours there. If you are worried about at night, have one of the new anbus watch my apartment at night. It can be played off as a part of hazing for the new recruits."

"Hokage-sama surely you can't think this is a good plan. She still can't use her charka."

"Genma just because I don't have the use of my charka at the moment doesn't mean I'm defenseless. I could hold my own long enough to for attention to be brought to me, or for others to step in. This is the best chance we got. They want me, use me as bait."

Tsunade was torn. She really didn't want to use her number one student as bait for an unknown enemy with an unknow objective, but they were running out of options. It has already been ten days since Team 7 had returned from their mission and there are been nothing out of the usual since. It didn't sit well with her. Maybe Sakura was right. Having her so well protected in the village could be discouraging another attack, especially if there were spies inside the walls.

"Alright Sakura, but you are to be armed at all times." Genma went to protest when there was a knock at the door. "Enter" her voice boomed throughout the office. Sakura didn't even need to turn around to see who it was, she sensed him the minute he entered into the building. "Ah Kakashi, only two hours late today."

Sakura felt Kakashi stand to the right of her. "Well you see there was this little old lady who needed help with her groceries-"

"Whatever. You are here now, and this is a pressing matter we need to discuss. Sakura you are dismissed. Shiranui stay, this pertains to you too."

Sakura gave her master bow and then quickly exited the office. Sakura had a feeling they were going to be talking about her transfer from team 7 back to her partnership, and Sakura had a feeling it was going to contain a lot of yelling and arguing. She wanted no part of it. Sakura found the stairs leading to the roof and carefully made her way up there looking for someone.

There was no mistaking his chakra. It was large and warm and slimy, either because he was the biggest pervert the Fire Nation had to offer or because of his connection to his summoning frogs she wasn't sure. Leaning over the railing looking down on the village was Master Jiraiya. He slightly turned to face her, nodding at her before turning his focus back on the village.

Sakura leaned against the railings next to him, looking between the Hokage mountain and the hospital. Below where the precious people every shinobi swore to protect, the people she promised to protect. Her eyes slightly shifted to where she knew the memorial stone was, and a silent pray was said before she turned and gave her focus to one of the legendary sannin.

"What can I do you for kiddo?" He asked with the slightest assumment to his voice. He had felt the exact moment her chakra searched out for his, when she first entered the tower.

"Naruto and Tsunade-sama trust you with their lives, so I know I can trust you." All assumment melted off Jiraiya. "I need you ask a favor."

"If you need something why not ask your master?" Jiraiya was confused. While he knew about Sakura through the two blondes that loved to be a pain in his ass, they had never talked to each other one on one.

"This is something the Hokage, and any future Hokage cannot have any apart of."

Meaning not only was she implying she was protecting Tsunade, but his godson as well. "You have my attention."

* * *

The next six days flew by. Majority of her days were spent at the hospital, either struck in her office or training. The last group of trainees would have their final test two days from now and Sakura was breathing a sigh of relief. The hospital was finally fully staffed for the first time in decades. Not only was the hospital fully staffed but there was a decent size list of medics that were ranked for all different levels of missions, including anbu. When Tsunade read her recent report on the hospital she had smiled and told Sakura she was proud of her. Tsunade and Shizune had been working for years to improve not only the hospital system but also the combat medics and with Sakura's help they had finally reached their goal.

Special services were also being made available to both the civilian population and the shinobi forces. New laws were put in place, that after someone had made their first kill, they were to talk to either a therapist or a jounin about it. Sakura reasoned that most first kills happened in either a shinobi's late genin or early chunin career and the sooner they learned to cope with it, the better of they would be. Finally, being fully staffed shinobi were now required to have a check up every six months before being allowed to complete any more missions. Services were also put in place to look for suicidal shinobi and shinobi that were close to cracking throughout all the ranks. Grief counselors were also trained to help the families of the fallen get through their deaths.

Sakura had a list of several other improvements she wanted to make over the next three years. She had detailed out with the cost and dates and why the improvements were necessary. It was all neatly and clearly spelt out so anyone could follow it.

The children's hospital had shown great improvement over the last couple months. Sakura had finally finished all the backup paperwork and now if a refugee child was taken in, all the procedures were already listed. She had spent twelve to fourteen hours a day the hospital, but her hard work had paid off.

Genma still wasn't happy with the guard situation but they had lunch together every day. A lot of laughs and memories were shared over the six days. It almost felt like old times, before Naruto came back to the village. At the moment Genma was working with Radio and Shikaku to strength the security of the wall and throughout the village, especially focusing on working out the detail for tonight's festival.

The first night she spent alone she found Sai waiting for her at her front door. When she approached, she smiled and asked what he was doing here. He had answered that he was finally ready, and Sakura's smile grew even wider. Once inside the apartment, Sakura ensured that all the blinds were pulled closed, and that everything was locked before slapping a silencing seal down ensuring that anyone listening or watching nearby wouldn't know what the two anbu were up too. It had taken her most the night and had drained pretty much all the charka she had managed to store back up, but it had been worth it. It had ended with the both of them in tears and trapped in a bone crushing hug that promised new beginning.

Every other night Sakura found herself inside the Nara compound. Shikamaru's mother and father had given her permission to use their family's library whenever she wanted, and she was taking advantage. Most of those nights she would fall asleep in the library reading a scroll or book, only to wake up in Shikamaru's bed. He had laughed at her the first time, complaining about how she was going to recover if she wasn't resting properly. One of the nights she spent inside the compound, Neji had joined them and they all had the homecooked dinner Yoshino prepared. Yoshino had ever gotten the three of them to agree to a picture. It was nice spending time with her second team again. The three of them had been through a lot together. They had been there to see each other grow and come into their own.

Naruto and Sasuke had come by the hospital once to walk her home after a long day at the hospital. It had been obvious that they had just come from a spare and before they had even left the hospital Naruto's stomach was growling so she sent Naruto to go fetch Sai, Yamato and Kakashi while Sasuke and her went to the store to buy food. Sakura had cooked almost everyone's favorite dishes. She had been surprised when Kakashi had showed up with Yamato. Neither one acknowledged what had happen the last time they saw each other, instead they simply enjoyed the night with their team. Naruto had harassed Kakashi about trying to see his face, but he was to easily distracted. Kakashi had finished his plate before Naruto could even get a peak. Team 7 ate and joked with one another for a couple hours before finally calling it a night. When Sakura finally went to bed, she found a note with her name written it on her pillow. She knew that hand writing anywhere.

He had given her the note two days ago and she still hadn't read it. She didn't know what she felt toward Kakashi. She cared for him deeply yes, hell she would even admit she was attracted to her former sensei, but she didn't know if she could trust him again so soon. While she was repairing her bond with Sasuke, that didn't mean she trusted him.

She shock her head as she made her way back to her apartment, having just left Shikamaru's house. The girls were all gathering at Ino's at three to get ready together, but there was still so many things Sakura needed to get done before then. Once she was inside her apartment, she quickly locked the door and made her way into her bedroom. Without the need for crutches anymore she was finally able to get around much faster.

The letter was still on her dresser where she had placed in two days prior and it called to her. She knew sooner or later she need to address their issues, and time was not on her side. She picked up the letter, carefully opening it while she sat on her bed.

 _Sakura,  
_ _I'm a coward, and I'm afraid I will never be able to tell you what needs to be said unless I write it down. Because every time I look at you and see tears, see pain, any apology I could form is gone, as I am unable to find the words. I've never been good with words, never been good at explaining my emotions but I need to try so maybe one day you will forgive me.  
_ _Our connection was unique, like no other I've ever had in my life. It scared me, because to open yourself up to love also opens yourself to pain. I hurt you, and it has been so painful for me to know that I did. I wanted to protect you, that's all I've ever wanted.  
_ _I've done the unforgivable. You came to me and confessed your fears, your nightmares. You came to me for comfort and I dried your tears. So, whatever you need from me to feel better, to stop the pain, I will do it. I'll resign as leader of Team 7 if you wish to stay. I'll request a long-term mission away from Konoha if you need space. I would sit there and take a beating if it meant you could look me in the eyes again. I need you in my life Sakura.  
_

Sakura carefully put the letter down next to her, tears forming in her eyes. She wanted to be with Kakashi, but even if she could get over what happened, their timing was off. It was going to happen soon, she could sense it in the air, and she didn't want Kakashi anywhere near her when it did


	10. Chapter 10

"Ino don't you think you should slow down on the bubbly." TennTenn giggled as she curled Hinata's hair. All the girls had gathered at Ino's house in order to get ready for the festival tonight. Makeup, clothes and champagne littered the bedroom floor as the girls worried about getting their looks just right.

"Yeah, yeah." Ino replied shaking her hand in the air dismissively. "I'm not to worried, Sakura and I did learn a thing or two from Tsunade and her drinking habit is just as widely known as her healing abilities. I'll be fine." Ino laughed as she refilled Sakura glass for the fourth time. "Besides how else are we going to get Sakura to loosen up or for Hinata to have the courage to talk with Naruto tonight."

"Naruto-kun is going tonight right?" Hinata asked turning a slight shade of red.

"Yes. If you want to talk with him tonight Hinata I'm sure I can drag the other boys away long enough to give you too some privacy." Sakura smirked as she downed her drink. The champagne was finally making its way into her bloodstream and she was enjoying the slight buzz. She wanted nothing more than to enjoy the night with no problems. TennTenn eyed her through the mirror, a slight worried look in her eyes, but before she commented Sakura was laughing. "You know TennTenn I'm sure I could get you and Neji some time alone too. I swear even through he is a prodigy genius he is as clueless as Naruto when it comes to matters of the heart."

"I have no idea what you are taking about." Now it was TennTenn's turn to blush at all the added attention.

"Sure, you don't." Ino said rolling her eyes, refilling Sakura's drink for the fourth time. "What about you forehead? Who are you going to be flirting with tonight?"

"No one. I'm just going with my team is all." Sakura said toying with her glass. While she felt a little better about the whole Kakashi/Sasuke thing, it wasn't something she wanted to discuss. Not even Ino knew about what was going on between Kakashi and Sakura. Sakura hadn't told anyone about the nights they spent in each other arms, or the pillow talk they shared while he tried to clam her down. Sakura wanted to keep it a secret. She had given up so much for her village, had shared everything she had to offer to the people she served. She figured she was allowed this little secret.

"Aww come on Sakura-chan" TennTenn whined. "You have a list of fans a mile long. Why not chose one of them?"

"Between the hospital and active duty, I barely have time to see you guys. What makes you think I have any time for a boyfriend right now?"

"Who says you need to have a boyfriend? A friend with benefits might just do you some good. Might just help you relieve some of your built-up stress. You don't need to get into anything serious, just something fun and enjoyable." Ino smiled at her best friend, moving closer to sit next to her on the bed.

"I'll think about it." Sakura's answer seemed to satisfy them enough because they dropped it and moved on to laugh about what TennTenn had catch Guy-sensei and Lee doing a few days ago.

Sakura smiled and nodded every so often as she listen to the three other girls talk. She had missed them. When she returned home with Sasuke she had pulled back from everyone but Kakashi. There had been times when the girls had come to her apartment to check on her, but she couldn't bring herself to get out of bed to go open the door. She had wanted to be alone. But that hadn't stopped them from trying. Ino had visited her at least once a week in her office at the hospital. TennTenn invited her a least once every two weeks to go on her morning run with her. On the rare occasion Neji managed to drag Sakura out of her house and to the Hyuga compound to train, Hinata would sit with her afterwards and they would enjoy tea and sweets while they talked. They had all been there, supporting her whether she like it or not.

Sakura's smile widened.

TennTenn had just finished Hinata's hair when there was a knock on Ino's bedroom window. All four girls jumped at the sound, and Sakura was quick to reach for the kunai Ino had hidden under her pillow, but when a whimper was heard she dropped it. She knew what that sound was.

"What in the world?" Ino asked following behind Sakura to the window. They couldn't see anything outside the window, but that didn't mean someone, or something wasn't there.

Sakura opened the window and stepped back, making room for someone to come in. But to the other three girls surprise it wasn't a person that came in but a dog wearing a blue vest and Leaf headband, holding a flower in his mouth. "Biscuit what are you doing here? Is everything all right?" Sakura asked with a slight concern in her voice.

The medium size dog just shock his head slightly, an amused look in his eyes. He stopped in front of Sakura and motioned for her to take the flower out of his mouth. The flower was a beautiful purple hyacinth. Sakura lifted it to her nose and breathed in the wonderful light floral aroma. "Boss wanted me to give this to you."

Sakura bent down and scratched the sweet spot behind his right ear. His tail wagged approvingly. "Thank you for bringing this to me." She smiled and stood up, and just as quickly the little dog came, he was gone, his mission complete.

"Kakashi-senesi gave you a flower?" Hinata asked confused stepping closer to get a better look.

Sakura went to hide the flower behind her back but Ino was already taking it out of her hands. "Not just any flower. A purple hyacinth which means 'I'm sorry please forgive me.' Okay forehead spill." Ino said getting a look in her eye that she only saved for the rare occasion when she was about to get unbelievable gossip.

"It's nothing." Sakura said grabbing the flower back and already looking at making her escape.

"Oh no you're not going anywhere before explaining." Ino laughed as she went to snatch Sakura. But she was to quick, she had already disappeared in a cloud of cherry blossoms.

* * *

Sakura hadn't even made it three houses away from Ino's when she heard her name being called again. She turned expecting to find another dog, but instead it was Raido and Asuma walking out of the weapon shop. Sakura stopped walking and waited until the two veteran shinobi catch up with her. She giggled slightly when she saw the big bundle of red roses in Asuma's hand.

Raido was quick to throw his arms around her. He had been worried about their favorite pink hair trouble maker. Ever since the meeting he had been hoping to run into her, but she was never around. Genma had told him if he wanted to see her so bad that all he had to do was go visit her in her office, but Raido didn't want to be a bother.

"It's good to see you too." Sakura said as Raido released her from the hug, she sent a smile to the breaded man and then chuckled. "Those flowers for Kurenai-sensei," she laughed harder at the blush creeping across Asuma's checks.

"Ah well you see tonight is an important night." He said using his free hand to rub the back of his head. Sakura turned to Raido and saw him sporting a shit eating gin. _It seems Asuma has already told Raido the good news._

"You two going to inform your teams tonight?"

"Is there anything going on in this village you do not know about? You might be spending a little too much time with Ibiki in T&I." Asuma smiled and elbow Raido in the side when his grin became to bright. His genin teammate was beyond happy with the news. Asuma was glad he had taken him out to train out toward the wall, or else everyone in the village would have heard his screams of joy and the surprise would have been ruined.

"Congratulations" Sakura said as she trapped Asuma in a tight hug. "You two deserve a little piece of happiness after everything that's happened." Sakura stepped back before Asuma could respond to the hug, she rarely hugged him, but today she just couldn't help herself.

"Sakura," Raido spoke his voice suddenly low, the happy, bubbly atmosphere now replaced with seriousness. "How are you doing?" His hands grabbed hers.

She glanced at Asuma and could see the understanding in his eyes. She wasn't sure who had told Asuma, but he hadn't been in the meeting when it was stated. Radio probably told him. "I'm okay." She smiled and then gripped his hands tighter "I'm ready."

Raido saw the look in her eye and decided for now he would let the matter drop. He had been on enough missions with Sakura to know that when she said she was ready she normally was. Raido went to ask her about the festival tonight when Asuma placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Isn't that one of Kakashi's" Asuma said looking over Sakura into the crowd market. The other two ninja turned and quickly let go of their hands. There was Shiba walking toward them another flower in his mouth.

His light grey fur with a white underside and a black crest on his head that reminiscent a mohawk made his easy enough to spot. Through in blue vest and headband only a blind person would have missed furry missile approaching. The three shinobi stood in silence until Shiba sat in front of Sakura and pawed at her to take the flower. The flower was a yellow gladiolus. There was about seven narrow yellow sword-shaped leaves and at the center of each flower was had a spot of red. It was beautiful, maybe even prettier than the hyacinth that she had already sealed into a scroll. As soon as Sakura took the flower out of the dog's mouth, he poofed away.

"The warrior flower?" Asuma asked clearly assumed. When both Raido and Sakura gave him a raised eyebrow he explained. "The Gladiolus is called the warrior flower because many people thought they looked like swords old samurai used to use. Samurai use to wear them braided into their hair or attached to their clothing, it was thought to offer protection and bring them luck."

"Why on Earth is Hatake giving you a warrior flower? Raido asked leaning in to get a better look at the flower in Sakura's hand. Sakura just shrugged not really knowing why. The first flower meant he was sorry, but she wasn't sure what the second one meant.

"Sakura it also stands for strength of character, faithfulness and honor, and depending on who gives it to you, infatuation. Though I am sure if Kakashi is behind it, it's probably the first three."

"Why the hell do you know so much about flowers Asuma? Is there something Kurenai needs to be informed about?" Radio joked but all Asuma did was roll his eyes.

"You forget who my female student is. Ino hasn't shut up about flowers since the moment she was assigned to my team. There is only so much flower talk you can tune out before you learn it anyways."

Sakura sealed the second flower into her seal and hugged Radio once more. When they let go Radio patted her head playfully, but carefully enough not to mess up the beautiful curls Ino had created. "Hopefully I see you guys tonight, but unfortunately there are still a few errands I need to run before the festival begins. Congratulations again Asuma." She gave the two veteran men a smile and then disappeared into the same weapons shop they had just existed.

The two men watched Sakura until the door closed behind her. "Why do you think Kakashi sent her that flower?" Asuma asked, his eyes already trained back on the road in front of them.

Radio just slightly shock his head, running a hand through his messy locks. "I have no idea. But whatever he is planning he better not hurt her" and with that they started back toward their apartments.

* * *

If Sakura thought she was confused before, she was at a complete lost for words now. Complicated didn't even begin to describe her feeling toward her former genin sensei anymore. Sakura wasn't even sure there had been a word invented yet to describe the storm of emotions that were forming in her chest.

She hadn't even left the weapons shop when she received another flower. When she reached the counter to pay there was Urushi with a white calla lily meaning magnificence, beauty and purity. Just like with Shiba once she took the flower the ninken disappeared in a cloud of smoke. The shop owner had given her a slight smirk as he bagged up her items, but otherwise didn't comment.

That patterned repeated everywhere she went. Her next stop had been her office at the hospital. When she opened her door there was Akino sleeping on her desk chair with a white heather on top of her desk. Sakura had turned to ask the dog what Kakashi was doing, but he was already gone. It took Sakura a few moments to place the meaning of the flower, when finally, it came to her, white heather stood for protection.

The next place Sakura had visited was the Hokage Monument, she wanted to check on her fail safe. She had placed seals on top of the Third Hokage's head and wanted to ensure they would work if need be. On her way back down there was Uhei sitting on one of the steps, his tail waging quickly. A sunflower was placed before her feet, before he too poofed away. Sakura pick up the flower, her fingers touching the soft petals. _Adoration and dedication? What is he trying to say?_

Her last stop before going home had been T&I. Sakura knew Kakashi wouldn't risk sending in one of his dogs, in fear of pissing off Ibiki, and Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. If the ninken where popping up everywhere she was going, it meant Kakashi had to be near by and there was some things she wanted-no needed to do without watchful eyes following her every move. Sakura spent over an hour inside the base, but when she exited there was Guruko holding a red aster in his mouth, the flower for patience.

By the time Sakura reached her apartment she had wanted nothing more than to lock her door, climb into her bed, pull her pillow to her face and scream. But of course, that wasn't an option. Beside the fact she was supposed to meet her team in an hour in front of Naruto's favorite restaurant, there were two more ninja hounds waiting for her outside her front door. Kakashi had saved the big guns for the final attack. There was Bull sitting and soaking up the last of the sunlight, while Pakkun rested on Bull's head.

When the two dogs spotted Sakura, Pakkun jumped off Bull's head and picked up one of the flowers that had been discharged off to the side of them, while Bull pick up the other. Sakura knelt down so she was eye level with Bull and held out her hand. Bull placed the brightest daffodil she had ever seen. A smile pulled at her lips as she gave a silent thank you to her early flower arrangement class for finally being useful. Daffodil, the flower for rebirth ad new beginnings. Pakkun then placed a white gardenia in her hand and she was confused if she had remembered the wrong definition for the plant, because there was no justifiable explanation for why Pakkun had just handed her a flower for secret love.

"Pakkun I don't understand." Sakura said, her eyes locking with the two dogs in front of her, hoping she'd finally have some answers.

"Something has happened between boss and you." Pakkun paused for a moment to see if Sakura would try to argue, but she didn't. The comment was too loaded. Yes, something had happened between the two of them, but what or when, Sakura wasn't sure anymore. "Boss said a big mistake required an even bigger apology. He said you would know what the flowers meant, and after seeing you look at the one, I gave you as if I handed you an active explosive tag, I'm sure you do."

"Thank you for delivering me these flowers. Please let the others know I send my thanks as well." Sakura scratched the two dogs for a few minutes before she finally stood and shoved her key into the door.

"Things between you guys going to be okay?"

"I don't know" she answered quietly, and the sad whine Bull made before she shut her door broke her heart. She had come to love these dogs. If she didn't work with Kakashi anymore there was no guarantee she would see them again, but she couldn't focus on that now. Bull and Pakkun had left the moment she shut the door; she couldn't do anything about it even if she wanted to.

She quickly made her way into the bedroom to changed when she spotted one last flower laying neatly on top of her pillow, with a little white box next to it. Her breath catch in her thought when she saw what flower it was. A single pink tulip stood out against her light grey sheets. With a shaky hand she picked it up and smiled. Tulips signifies a declaration of love. Was that what Kakashi was trying to tell her all day? That he cared or her, that her wanted her, that he loved her?

Even after the last few hours she wasn't prepared to find what was in the little box after she finally stopped staring at the flower and put in down. Her fingers touched cold smooth melt as she held up the neckless so she could get a better view. There was the symbol of her clan, wrapped around the symbol for the Hatake clan. Her clan's symbol was simple, only comprising of a circle, but Kakashi's was different. The design in itself showed the clan's elegance. It was a rhombus, with nine smaller ones inside of it, showing that no shinobi is made of one part.

The neckless was gorgeous, flawless in design. Kakashi must have had it specially made with a well skilled jeweler.

Sakura careful set the neckless back into the box as a single tear ran down her check. The famous copy cat ninja had just confessed his love to her. A warm feeling was spreading throughout her, but that sinking feeling was still there. Another tear escaped as her turned and threw the pillow off the bed hoping to rid some of her frustration.

Because no matter how bad she wanted this she couldn't have it. Not until her mission was done, and there was no promise she would survive it. "Duty really is the killer of love." She muttered to herself as she sealed the flower and box away…

* * *

The whole village had come alive. Every shinobi and civilian alike laughed, played and ate together. Venders littered the street with either the promise of delicious food or a chance at winning a prize. Children's laughter filled the air, and Sasuke almost smirked as he followed Naruto down the crowded street. Sasuke could say he was almost excited about tonight. Every time he saw Sakura they talked more and more. Layers were being brought down, and Sasuke was finally getting a look at the real Sakura, and he was liking what he was seeing.

Tonight, wouldn't be intolerable, even if Naruto hadn't shut up since they left the apartment because he would get to see her. Team 7 was meeting outside Ichiraku's and then deciding what they wanted to do from there. They reached the stand to see Sai already there waiting, wearing a white button-down shirt and black pants, a fake smile on his lips.

"Hello traitor, dickless" Sai greeted, and it seems Naruto was in a really good mood tonight because the comment just rolled off his back.

"Hi Sai!" Naruto yelled loudly, and Sasuke rolled his eyes at the blonde's need to always be so extra. "No sign of the others yet huh?"

"Dickless and blind, how sad." Sai's smile grew, and Sasuke closed his eyes and took a breath waiting for the fight to begin.

"Why you piece of-"

"Now, now boys." She laughed as she wrapped her arm around Naruto's shoulder, stopping his nasty retort. Sasuke eyes shot open, he hadn't sensed her approach, and judging the others' reactions neither did they. His eyes land of her and he could feel his heart literally skip a beat. There she was leaning against Naruto almost sparkling in the moonlight. The dress looked even better on her than he remembered. Her hair had been partly pulled back and done in a twist, while the rest of it followed in waterfall curls down her back. Sasuke briefly noted that she had indeed worn the earnings and necklace he had bought her. But what held his attention was her eyes. Bright green eyes looked even brighter than usual thanks to the soft pink and grey smoke eye shadow she wore.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto was quick to turn and capture her in a bear hug. She giggled as she hugged back. "Tell Sai to stop being an ass."

"I'll stop being an ass when you grow a dick." Sai shoot back and Naruto's face grew red.

"Why are you always obsessed with my dick? You saw me naked once and now won't shut up about it!" Naruto yelled causing a few passer byers to send them dirty looks. Sasuke just shook his head, but Sakura just stood there quietly smiling. From the stories Naruto had told about Sakura, Sasuke had expected her to have already lost her temper and beat the two irritating shinobi up, but she hadn't. She was just standing there, watching her two teammates, smiling.

"Tonight's going to be a long night isn't it?" Sasuke asked catching Sakura's eye, she nodded and then giggled some more. Then for some reason Sasuke decided the two idiots' comments didn't seem so irritating as long as she kept laughing at them.

* * *

" _What do you mean you told Sakura-chan that you loved her?" Yamato's eyes widened as he entered Kakashi's apartment. "What did she say?"_

" _I don't know." He confessed as he checked to make sure he had his weapons pouch. Kakashi was never one to really dress up, he figure a black version of his jounin's uniform without the vest would do._

" _What the hell do you mean you don't know? Did she run when you told her?"_

" _No, it's nothing like that. I left her a gift on her bed with a clear message." Kakashi let out a breath and tightened his headband around his eye. "I didn't want her to be pressured into giving a response."_

" _And if she can't forgive you?"_

" _Then I'll spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to her."_

Kakashi couldn't remember the last time he felt anxious. In battle, feeling nervous or worried always got in the way. You do not enter a battle believing you will fail; you enter knowing you will make your opponent sorry they ever crossed your path. He was the great copycat ninja, master of over a thousand justus, feared throughout the seven great nations, but when it came to his former pink haired student none of that mattered. One look from her made all his power vanish in a blink of an eye. All the walls he had put up throughout the years came crashing down the moment she walked into the same room.

He cursed himself for not noticing it sooner. What kind of genius couldn't even recognize when they were starting to fall in love? It didn't happen all at once. Kakashi knew he had always treated his female student differently from the others. When they were kids, he would set up his sleeping mat by hers. When on guard, he was always stationed closer to her than the others. Call it chivalry or sexism, he felt he had to protect her more than the others. He step in and helped her more than he should have, and yet when it came to training her, he hesitated to shape her into the same shinobi he was molding the boys into. When she was a child, he still held out for hope that she would realize that this lifestyle wasn't for her and quit and become a civilian. But she had surprised him, she had surprised everyone. Even when he had failed her, she sought other teachers to help her make up for what she was lacking.

Then when Sasuke left the village, Naruto wasn't the only one who couldn't look her in the eye. He had watched her on that hospital rooftop. He saw the tears streaming down her face as she ran to get in-between her two teammates, knowing taking a hit like that would probably kill her. Kakashi's heart clenched painfully in his chest, as Rin's face flashed before him. Kakashi had been the one to tell her everything was going to be okay. He had given her a smile and then left to give Sasuke a lecture. But she had known it wasn't going to be. It should have been him that discovered Sasuke trying to leave the village that night. If it had been, he would have never left. How could Kakashi look her in the eye after that? When Naruto left, Team 7 was disbanded. Kakashi had figured Sakura was in better hands with Tsunade than himself and took the next long-term mission offered.

He remember when he returned from that mission and Tsunade informed him Sakura's parents had been killed. When Sakura needed him the most, he vanished, to busy running away from his own problems to help her with hers. He had tried to find her. He wanted to talk with her, and make sure she was okay, but she was already out of the village Tsunade said the moment her parents were laid to rest, Sakura wanted to be sent out on missions, and she had been on back to back missions ever since. Almost a year went by where whenever Kakashi was in the village she was not. By the time they were both in the village at the same time, too much time had passed. Kakashi didn't know what to say to her, so he simply didn't.

By the time Naruto came back to the village it had already been almost four years since the three of them saw each other. Kakashi still remembers seeing Sakura in the Hokage's office for the first time after all that time apart. She was no longer the little girl he had been entrusted to teach. She had grown out her hair. It had been pulled back into a beautiful fishtail braid. Her new uniformed showed that her arms and legs had become toned through her years of training, and there was now confidence behind those green eyes. When they fought, her new experience showed. She didn't second think herself in battle, and Kakashi would've been severely injured on more than one occasion if he hadn't been using the sharingan to dodge.

Yet even after all those years she welcomed both Naruto and Kakashi back with opened arms. She never once brought up that they had both left her behind for years. She never once held anything against them. All she did was smile, and said it was nice to finally have her boys' home. Kakashi was happy to have another chance to be a mentor to Sakura, and he had promised this time he wouldn't fail her. After the mission to Suna, and Kakashi had fully recovered, Kakashi and Sakura had found themselves sparing one on one everyday whenever they were in the village. He would teach her a new jutsu and she would heal him after they were done.

Those spars should have been his first clue that something had changed between them. The first time he pinned her to the ground, holding her arms above her head, straddling her waist, their faces mere inches from one another should have been a giant red flag. Kakashi felt her pulse quicken when she realized what position they were in. He saw the look in her eyes, as she parted her lips slightly. She didn't try and push him off, all she did was stare into his eyes, unwilling to look away even when her checks changed pink.

When Kakashi finally came to his senses and climbed off of her, he had to dismissed himself, saying he had a meeting, and then proceeded to take a very, very cold shower once he got home. At that point Kakashi couldn't even lie to himself that he found himself slightly irritated when she was out of the village and they couldn't have their daily spars. Team seven might have lost a member, but it had gained two new ones, and for the first time in years the team felt whole, felt like a family.

But like most things in Kakashi's life, just as things were going good, everything came crashing down around him. Kakashi still doesn't remember what the gate guard had told him when he got home from his mission to the waterfall village. All he heard was Uchiha's home, Haruno badly hurt and he was already sprinting toward the tower. He had found Sakura on the old training field team seven used to use, and it had been completely destroyed. In the middle of the field was Sakura. Her normal uniform replaced with a black tank top, black leggings and her boots. Her right arm was bandaged up to her bicep and when Kakashi finally appeared in front of her, he saw how hurt she was. Her left eye was black and blue, her upper lip had stiches but what catch his attention was the lighting blot marks that were across her chest, neck and shoulder.

" _Sakura are you alright?" Kakashi asked moving closer to her. Her eyes wouldn't lock with his, and blood dripped from both of her hands. The white gauze around her knuckles were stained red. When she didn't answer he placed a hand lightly on her shoulder. "Sakura, its okay" he whispered quietly as he wrapped his arms around her._

 _Sakura stood as still as a statue; her arms remained glued to her sides. They stood like that for almost twenty minutes before she started to talk. "I almost killed him," she said angerly. "I almost fucking killed him!" She yelled before pushing Kakashi off of her. "I won! We fought one on one and I won! I walked away from our battle while they had to carry him! Yet he is still fucking with me!"_

" _Sakura you're okay. He is under-surveillance at the hospital. He's not coming after you." Kakashi knew that this wasn't going to be easy. Tsunade had briefly explained what had happened before he was sent out to check on his student. He knew Sasuke had used a form of Tsukuyomi on her even though he hadn't developed his Mangekyō Sharingan. Kakashi wasn't even sure how it was possible, but seeing the state Sakura was in now, whatever jutsu Sasuke had used was a powerful one._

" _I'm not okay" she said dropping to her knees, bring her hands to her face. "He would have killed me." Her bandaged hand lightly traced the lighting blots on her chest. "He shoved his choroid through my chest." Kakashi flinched at her words. "He kept pushing his hand even after my paper tag stopped his charka flow."_

" _Sakura…" Kakashi dropped to his knees in front of her unsure of what to do. When the tears started his heart broke. He was so sick of seeing her cry._

Kakashi shook his head as they got closer to the ramen shop. There had been plenty of warning signs, but he had ignored every single one of them. He really was a fool if it took him bleeding out to realize how badly he wanted to kiss and hold her and promise everything was going to be okay.

"Are you sure they won't be mad we left the ramen shop?" A female's voice giggled in the crowded street. Kakashi stopped dead in his tracks, his advanced hearing zeroing in on the voice.

"Come on Sakura-chan, they were already half an hour late, Kakashi-sensei and Captain Yamato will find us when they get here." Both Kakashi and Yamato zeroed in on their students. They were several booths to the left of them waiting in line to play a game.

"Fine, fine but after this we are getting some food." She giggled again but Kakashi couldn't see her, she was surrounded by her male teammates.

But she had just given him an idea, so he turned on his heels and headed into the other direction.

"Hey Kakashi where are you going?"

"Just come on Yamato." Kakashi called back into the crowd not even bothering to stop to see if he was being followed.


	11. Chapter 11

"This game is stupid." Sasuke muttered as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Its only stupid traitor because you lost." Sai said cheerfully as he watched Naruto try and win the ridiculous pink and purple unicorn for Sakura.

"Shut up Sai I'm trying to concentrate!" Naruto yelled as he focused on his target. The game was simple, just toss a ball into a tilted basket without having it bounce out. When they had walked by the person hosting the game had given the group a hard time. Saying how could they let such a pretty girl walk around all night with no prizes. He taunted how could they call themselves shinobi if they couldn't even win their girl a stuffed animal.

Needless to say, the boys took the bait hook line and sinker. Sasuke had already wasted twenty bucks before deciding it wasn't worth the effort. So now it was Naruto's turn and of course he missed it. Naruto grew red in the face and demanded another ball. Sakura just laughed at him calling him foolish, saying the cost of the toy was way smaller than what Sasuke had already spent on the game, but Naruto didn't care. He had wanted to win her that stuffed pink unicorn.

"Come on Naruto don't waste all your money on the first game we stop by tonight." Sakura pleaded after he to blew through a twenty.

The host could tell he was about to lose a customer, so he made an offer. "How about I give you four tries to make it into the three baskets pretty lady. If you get all three, I will not only give you the pink unicorn, but their money back as well." Then winked at Sakura.

"Lets just go" Sasuke said growing irritated. He didn't like the way this man's eyes kept dropping lower and lower when looking at Sakura. "Its fixed if he is offering to give the money back."

But Sakura wasn't one to back down from a challenge. She pulled out a fifty and put in on the counter where the host had placed the two twenties. "How about I get three tries and if I lose you keep the fifty?" She smirked when the man's eyes locked in on the bill.

"Whatever suits you hot stuff."

Sakura picked up the first ball and took a step back. She eyed the basket for a moment before gently throwing the ball, landing perfectly in the middle. "What! No way Sakura-chan you did it!" Naruto cheered as she picked up the second ball.

"Naruto watch closely what I am doing okay." He nodded and then she threw her second ball, once again landing perfectly in the middle. She picked up the third ball and then handed it to Naruto.

"What are you doing?" He asked confused.

"You wanted to win me the unicorn, right?" Naruto nodded his head yes. "Then win it." And the smile she sent him warmed his heart.

"But what about your money?"

"Naruto, I trust you." She smiled again and something inside Sasuke's chest tightened. There Sakura was willing to waste fifty bucks on a stuffed animal she probably didn't even want, just so Naruto didn't feel like a loser.

Naruto took a breath and when he threw the ball it hit the side of the basket and for a moment, he thought he had blew it. But then it bounced off the other side and landed in the middle of the basket. Sakura picked up the money and then sent the host a wink before Naruto was handed the unicorn and they turned and left the booth.

"See I knew you could do it." She said elbowing him playfully as she passed the two boys back their money.

"Well with a performance like that I say you guys have earned a treat." Kakashi called from behind them and Sakura stopped dead in her tracks. Her heart slammed against her ribcage as it began to pump harder and faster.

"You're late." Both Naruto and Sasuke said turning around slightly annoyed. Couldn't he be on time at least once.

"Well you see there was a little old lady that lost her grandson, and by the time I found him the line for the cobbs where already long, so I had no choice but to wait." Kakashi said holding out a handful of foil covered chicken and beef cobbs.

"I know we are late. But come on a little bribery normally works with you guys." Yamato laughed slightly as boys took their treats from Kakashi.

Sakura turned around, her eyes darting between the two older jounin in front of her. She could feel the adrenalin begin to pump into her bloodstream as she began to panic. The flowers, the necklace, his confession, all of it had been to much; and while she wanted to talk to Kakashi about it she didn't know what she wanted to say.

"Here Sakura we got you your favorite." Kakashi said waving the cobb in front of her. She quickly took it, her eyes locking on anything but him as she said her thanks.

"Now that you two finally decided to grace us with your presences, what do you guys wanna do now?" Naruto asked in between bites of food.

"What's the normal custom to these types of events?" Sai asked curiously. It hadn't even been a full two years since he was placed with team seven, and an even shorter time since he had been released from root. This was his first festival, and he was loving it. The colors, lights, sounds and smells, all of it. Everything about it from the way to the children giggled and ran, to the way he saw couples walking hand in hand. Sai wanted to take part in everything it had to offer.

"Ummm good question. Well I haven't been to this in a couple years. What do you think Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked shoving his food in his mouth.

"Huh?" Sakura's head shot up at the sound of her name being called.

"I said what do you think we should do." He said finishing off the last of his food.

"I don't know. I haven't attended this festival since I was genin. I'm was normally off on a mission or working in the hospital. We could walk around and play some games."

"Why?" Sasuke asked eyeing her. "You used to love this crap when we were younger." Sasuke's tone coming off as if he didn't believe her. He still remember the last festival he had attended before he left. Sakura had thrown the biggest fit when he said he wasn't going. Wouldn't shut up about it until he finally agreed to go.

"Because it's no fun to be the fourth wheel." She answered quietly as she started walking away to another game stand, leaving rest of the members of the original team seven to feel guilty as they walked after her.

* * *

"Hurry up Udon, Moegi!" Konohamaru yelled as he chassed through the streets trying to find Naruto. "I wanna tell big brother Naruto the good news" he continued to run, never stopping to look behind to see if his two teammates were following.

"Slow down!" Udon yelled trying to catch up, but it was of little use. Whenever Konohamaru wanted to find Naruto, nothing stopped him.

"To your left I see Sakura-sensei" Moegi called out as she started running faster toward their target.

There was the famous team 7 sitting on stools spraying water into a circle, trying to make their samurai run the fastest across the platform, and from Moegi's view it looked like Sai was winning. A number of toys were in-between Naruto and Sasuke, and she couldn't help but wonder who they were going to give them too.

"Big brother Naruto!" Konohamaru yelled jumping on Naruto's back, catching him by surprise, and knocking him out of his seat.

"What the hell?" Naruto asked confused as he quickly sat up, throwing Konohamaru off of him. "Why did you do that I was just about to win!?"

"DING! DING! DING!" Naruto turned around just in time to see Sai be handled a prize.

"Big brother Naruto I have exciting news!" Konohamaru yelled making no move to get up off the ground. His teammates just looked at the two on the ground with hearts in theirs eyes. They were excited for their teammate.

"What?" Naruto asked his interested peaked.

"IMMABEABIGCOUSIN!" He yelled so quickly that all of his words mumbled into one.

By now the remaining members of team seven had turned to watch the event unfold in front of them. Sakura just sat there smiling, quietly giggling as she carefully watched the almost brothers share this special moment.

"Slow down kid I have no idea what you are saying." Naruto rubbed the back of his head. Normally his mini-me made a lot more sense…well at least to him away.

"I said I am going to be a big cousin." A smile from check to check was plastered on the young shinobi's face. He knew he was never going to have a chance to be a big brother, but this was his chance. He was going to take that child under his wing and teach it everything just like big brother Naruto had done for him.

"Kurenai's pregnant?" Kakashi asked in disbelief. Did someone from his generation really get a chance at their happily ever after?

"Yes!" Moegi cried out as she pulled Konohamaru to his feet. "Asuma-sensei and Kurenai-sensei just told us the fantastic news."

"How far along is she?" Kakashi asked still trying to wrap his brain around the idea and Asuma was going to be a dad.

"She is still in her first trimester." Sakura answered, standing and mimicking Moegi, pulling Naruto to his feet.

"You knew Sakura-sensei?" The younger girl asked looking up to her mentor.

"Silly who do you think gave her the test?"

"And you didn't tell us why?" Naruto whined as he brushed the dirt off his ass.

"Because it would've ruined their surprise." Sakura turned and glanced at the four men still sitting behind her. "How about we get some sweets to celebrate the good news? My treat."

"You're the best sensei!" Udon exclaimed as he grabbed Sakura's wrist and started pulling her toward a dessert stand. Naruto, Sai, Sasuke, Konohamaru and Moegi were quick to follow after them. Leaving Yamato and Kakashi a little behind them.

"Can you believe they are going to have a kid?" Yamato asked as he walked side by side with Kakashi.

"Those two have always been close." Kakashi said smiling, that warm feeling bubbling in his chest.

"Why are you smiling like that Senpai?"

"Because it gives me a little hope."

* * *

He couldn't believe it. Asuma had broke the news to them twenty minutes ago and he still wasn't processing it correctly. This was going to change everything. Shikamaru glanced at the two from the corner of his eye only to see them still holding hands. They had never done that in front of them before, but he figured since everyone was going to find out about the baby anyways there was no point in hiding it anymore. Besides it seemed that everyone had already knew about these two before tonight anyways.

Shikamaru was happy, he was truly happy for his sensei. Shika knew Asuma was going to make a wonderful father, but where was that going to leave team ten? Where was that going to leave team 8? Kurenai was going to be off duty for at least nine months, and there was no guaranteed that she would ever go back into the field. Most kunoichis retired after having their first child. Would Asuma chose to retire as well? Choosing to pick the life of a father instead of the life of a shinobi.

Shikamaru saw what happened with Sakura when her team broke up, would the same happen with his? True, all of their dads were friends, had been since childhood, but how often would he get the chance to be sent out on missions with them if they didn't have a team lead? Would they all grow apart if Asuma chose to for go this life for another?

"Shikamaru whatever you are thinking knock it off." Ino screeched in his ear as she hit his arm. "You're at a festival please shut off that pretty brain of yours and enjoy it or so help me I'm going to hurt you." She threated as she looped her arm through his.

"What it is you guys are wanting to do?" He asked as he allowed himself to be dragged through the crowds. Ino was right, the time to worry was later.

"Isn't that Team 7 at the cotton candy stand?" Choji asked smiling, he was just craving something sweet.

Team 10 made their way toward the stand, leaving Asuma and Kurenai to have some alone time. Shikamaru was suddenly in a better mode with his adopted team-member in eyesight. There she was passing out nine different bundles of cotton candy to everyone. Her eyes glittered in the moonlight and Shikamaru couldn't remember seeing a more beautiful women than Sakura. She looked gorgeous in that dress and while he knew he was staring he couldn't make himself look away. He was awestruck.

Ever since that day at the waterfall he hasn't been able to look at her the same.

" _Damn male hormones!"_ He thought silently as Ino pushed them closer.

"Damn forehead do I know how to pick a dress or what!" Ino yelled pulling her arm from Shikamaru. "I bet you have had men staring at you all night." She was quick to throw her arms around Sakura before she could comment. "Maybe we will find you a man tonight yet" she giggled as Sakura just rolled her eyes.

"Ino we've been over this" Sakura smiled shaking her head, making her hair fall slightly in her face. Before Shikamaru even knew what he was doing he was closing the small distance between them and lightly tucking the hair behind her ear. Sakura just smiled at him with a small smile and said thank you.

"No, we didn't talk about it. As soon as we started talking about it one of K-" Sakura was quick to slam a hand over Ino's mouth silencing her. She really didn't need the whole village knowing what was going on.

"Later pig" she glared "we will talk about it later."

"Do you guys want cotton candy?" Choji asked already getting in line to get some. His two teammates nodded. Naruto and Sai got back in line with him to get more. Sai had never had the sugary treat before and he found it interesting how it seemed to just disappear in his mouth, while Naruto could never get enough sugar.

"Big brother Naruto we have to go" Konohamaru declared catching his teammates attention. "But we will find you guys for the fireworks in a couple hours" he said already running off to do Kami knows what.

"Did you really have to give the kids sugar?" Shikamaru asked, but Sakura just responded with an elbow to his side laughing.

While Sakura congratulated Shikamaru and Ino on their newest addition to their team, Yamato and Kakashi excused themselves to go and congratulate the new parents. Sasuke stood back quietly watching the interaction between Sakura and Shikamaru. There was no doubt that they were close, but they hadn't been when they were genin. When did that change?

* * *

Three masked men watched as the young genins jumped from rooftop to rooftop smiling and laughing about who was going to make it to the cake-pop stand first. Tonight, would be the night they strike, regardless of how many guards were stationed around the village, they would not fail.

The young grandson of the third Hokage disappeared from their view, causing the two masked men to turn to their team lead. One of them asked quietly "are we sure this is the right course of action? We only have one chance."

The leader's eyes stayed focused on the place the little boy and his team disappeared into the crowd. "Tonight, she pays for what she's done in blood."

And just like that there was no longer three men standing on the rooftops, only the sound of their whispers being carried away by the wind.

* * *

"I swear to god swear Sai" Sakura threatened as she rubbed her forehead. "Do you trust me or not?"

"But the book says-"

"I don't give a fuck what it says. I've known Ino almost her whole life, just trust me on this." Sakura was going to straggle the poor bastard if he didn't stop referencing that damn book and just go and give Ino the stupid fake rose he had won. Sai looked like he was going to say something, but instead just looked away from Sakura. Feeling slightly bad for losing her temper she grabbed his arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I know this all new for you Sai but trust me. Just walk up to her, give her the rose and ask for a dance. Ino will try and control the rest anyway. The writer of the book has never meet someone as hardheaded, stubborn and all controlling as Ino."

"Thank you Ugly." Sai said flashing his signature smile before taking off toward the dance floor.

Sakura just waved him off before turning her attention back to her fruity coattail in her hand. About an hour ago everyone had managed to run into each other, and the two loudmouth blondes of the group just insisted on going dancing. She would admit the village had outdone itself this year. Decorations were hung on every inch available throughout the festival route, and tonight was supposed to have one hell of a firework show. Even the dance floor that had been set up closer to the training grounds with beautiful lights strung up everywhere and through the trees. The dj had been playing a wide variety of music the last hour and Sakura could see civilian and shinobi were blending into one mass mob on the dance floor.

She smiled watching her people. The leaf village really was a special place, and nights like this reminded her exactly why.

"Are you going to sit at the bar all night?" Shikamaru asked hopping into the bar seat next to her.

"Needed to get off my leg for a little while." She answered as she played with the straw in her drink. The brace was finally off, the bruises now gone, but she still needed to be mindful that she was in recovery. Her leg wasn't at 100 percent, Tsunade said it would be another two weeks before it would be.

"Or have you been to busy playing match maker to enjoy tonight?" Shika asked as he flagged down the bartender to get soda. Ino had dragged him onto the dance floor before he could protest, so when he saw Sai making his way toward them, he made his exit.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Sakura smiled as she turned toward him, their knees slightly touching.

"I'm so sure. TennTenn just happened to trip while she was walking next to you and ended up being caught by Neji just before she fell." Sakura just smiled and remained silent. "Naruto asking Hinata to dance, Sai bringing a flower to Ino, all their ideas."

"All their ideas." She confirmed.

"Troublesome women" he muttered as the bartender handed him his drink. He could see the wheels turning behind those emerald eyes. It was one of the things he loved about her. Even when she tried to mask her emotions, they always showed through her eyes.

He had been surprised when she hadn't joined them on the dance floor, but Naruto had brushed it off saying she wanted to sit for a while. Neji had sat with her for a few songs before Lee had drug him away challenging him to something dance related. Then surprising it was Sai, who had sat with her almost the whole hour before she sent him back to dance. Shika was surprised Sasuke and Naruto hadn't kept her company, but after hearing about Sakura's transfer papers being approved, he wasn't sure what was going on with team seven.

But he wasn't going to bug her about that tonight. He could tell that while she was enjoying her night, she was being more mindful of her surrounding than she should be. She wasn't fooling him with that fruity drink in her hand, she hadn't drank anything alcoholic all night. Whatever was in her cup was some virgin fruity drink.

So, when the song turned to something slow, he took his chance and stood from the chair, holding out his hand for her. "Shikamaru Nara are you asking me for dance? If your mother could see you now, she would have a heart attack." She joked; the sarcasm clear in her tone.

"Just take my hand. At the very least you owe me a dance for being a pain in my ass." He said turning his head when he felt her hand in his and lead them to the dance floor. The song was soft, lyrics barely hearable over the acoustics. He smiled when Sakura looped her arms around his neck, their eyes locking, and only then was Shikamaru wishing that his family jutsu stopped time instead of controlling shadows.

* * *

Several rounds of shots littered the bench the older jounins had claimed as their own. Guy, Asuma, Kurenai, Radio, Genma, Kakashi Anko and Ebisu were all squeezed in a bench meant to seat six, but they didn't care. Like many of their students, they had been friends for a long time and rarely got the chance to all get together. Even rarer when they got together was it something to celebrate.

"Do you know yet if it's a boy or girl?" Ebisu asked taking another shot. When Radio everyone that wasn't stuck on guard duty to celebrate, he had passed out cigars and brought several bottles of sake.

"It's too early to tell, though I have a feeling it's a girl." Kurenai said rubbing a hand over her slightly swollen belly.

"Oh Kami please let it be a boy" Asuma joked throwing his arms up to defend Kurenai's playful punch.

"What's wrong Asuma couldn't hand a little Anko?" Genma asked and then yelped when Anko's dango stick hit him in the arm.

"They would only be so lucky to have the brat be like me." She snapped as she reached for another sweet. "Why aren't you up the kid's ass pretty boy? She was at the bar for an hour before pineapple head drug her to the dance floor."

"She's allowed to have a night with her friends." Genma answered his smile slightly faulting. They had this argument a couple nights ago, Genma wanted her to stick with him and rest of the senior jounin but she wasn't having it. Her charka was slowly coming back to her, she argued she wasn't defenseless. So, they comprised, and Genma had stayed with a mile or two of her the whole night.

"It seems her second team have become just as watchful of her as you Genma" Radio said laughing, seeing Sakura disappear into the crowd. "And besides them I heard a few dogs have been following her around all day." All eyes suddenly feel on Kakashi. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you Hatake?" Radio asked wanting to know what his game plan was.

"A sensei can't keep tabs one of his students?" Kakashi asked his orange book present, his eyes never leaving the pages. Every once in a while, he would check on Sakura and then his eyes were back in his favorite book.

"What about the flowers?" Asuma asked a deep chuckle escaping his lips. He could tell by the way his friend's shoulders were slightly tensing that they had struck a nerve, and since the group rarely ever had anything over the great copycat, they were going to enjoy their teasing to the fullest.

"You gave Sakura flowers?" Genma asked the slightly hint of disbelief in his voice.

"Not just any flowers." Radio answered almost laughing, either he was truly enjoying torturing Hatake or the several shots of shake had caught up with him. "It seems he went through a lot of trouble to pick very specific flowers."

"Oye I wouldn't expect anything else form my number one rival! If I cannot find prettier flowers for TennTenn I will do 500 laps around the village on my hands as punishment!" Guy shouted, his pearly whites catching the setting sun just right.

"Guy you dumbass! Those flowers weren't because Sakura is his student." Anko smirked as she crossed her arms over her chest. "So, it seems mister one eye got the hots for his student huh? Kinky."

Kakashi said nothing as he turned the page in his book. He knew that people were going to talk about what he did today. It wasn't like he was being sly. But he had decided if he was going to embrace these feelings then he wasn't going to hide them.

"Calm down Anko. They hadn't been sensei and student in years." Kurenai said coming to Kakashi defense. At this Kakashi did look up. "You guys were separated for several years. She is turning eighteen soon Kakashi. If you are holding back because of the age difference don't be. An outsider can see that you to hold a special bond."

"Didn't you try picking Sakura up a few years ago Genma?" Radio asked the same playful smirk on his lips.

At this comment Genma went into a coughing fit, the sake burning as it was forced down with a big gulp of air. "That's not exactly what happened." He paused to take another sip of his drink to help wash down the rest of it. "I didn't know her yet, and she has always looked older than she is."

"Once her tits came in all the boys started circling." Anko said frankly, she had seen the poor girl turn away more men then she could count.

"God damn Anko do you have no flitter?!" Radio asked a blush staining his checks.

"What? I'm not the one who got a nosebleed watching her train." Her eyes falling on Ebisu.

Ebisu could feel the killing intent radiating off Kakashi and Genma. "Once. It happened once after Konohamaru managed to soak her with a water jutsu and her-um-let's just say it was a cold day."

Kakashi could feel a headache coming on, though he did feel better knowing he wasn't the only one seeing Sakura in a different light. His friends had taken the idea better than thought they would. Genma didn't look like he wanted to murder him just yet, so that was a plus. During the time he was gone, Genma had become an overprotective older brother and Kakashi wasn't sure how he would react. When Yamato left to go talk with Ayame, Kakashi thought he was going to have defend his actions all alone.

"If you ever look at my partner like that again Ebisu, I will shove my sharpest senbon into your eyes slowly." Genma said with a smirk on his face, but the threat every much real.

"When is your due date?" Kakashi asked wanting to get the conversation back on topic.

"We aren't sure just yet. I'm not even two months along, we caught the pregnancy pretty early. I have another appointment on Tuesday, hopefully we will know more after that." She said stocking her belly again. Kurenai just couldn't believe she was going to become a mother.

The conversation stayed light for another twenty minutes. Almost everyone was feeling the sake and they let their good moods carry the conversation. They shared stories, laughs and jokes that was until Anko opened up her month. "So, which one of you are going to stop that random jounin from dancing with Sakura? Pretty boy or one eye?"

Before Genma could ever answer Kakashi was gone.

"Its about damn time he pulled his head out of his ass and went after our little damsel in distress." She laughed as they all turned to watch the show.

* * *

The slow dance with Shikamaru had been nice. Sakura couldn't remember the last time she slowed danced, but when the music changed and became quicker paced, she found herself being spun left and right by Lee. After that song had changed TennTenn had come to her rescue and she had enjoyed the next couple songs just dancing among her friends. But when the song changed to another slow dance, she quietly excused herself to go and get another drink.

She only made it a couple yards from the group before someone was tapping her shoulder. Sakura turned only to see Midori, another jounin she worked with regularly with at the hospital.

"Would you do me the honor of having this dance with Sakura-san?" He asked politely holding out his hand, but before she could ever answer she felt someone stand behind her and place a hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry I was promised the next dance" his tone was casual but by the way Midori turned and fled she was sure his facial expression was anything but.

She felt the hand fall from her shoulder and when she turned low and behold there was Kakashi. She could feel her heartbeat speed up, regardless of how much she willed herself to calm down. Sakura took in the slight of his tone chest underneath his jounin long sleeve and she had to fight the urge to place a hand on it, just to be able to feel the tone muscles beneath it.

"Can I have this dance Sakura?" He asked already stepping closer to her. Being for a loss for words she just nodded and allowed him to sip his one hand around her waist and grab her right hand in his.

At first, she wouldn't even look at him, as she allowed him to sway, them to the sound of the music. She was becoming more and more aware of all the people staring at the them, though it didn't seem to bother Kakashi. It wasn't until she catch Sasuke staring that she pushed herself closer to Kakashi and tightened her grip in his hand, hiding her face from those around them.

"Thank you for the wonderful flowers." She whispered barely loud enough for Kakashi to hear.

"I'm sorry Sakura." He confessed as she continue to stare at the women in his arms. "I truly am. I was a weak man. I should have gone looking for you the moment you left the hospital room."

"The flowers," she paused unsure of what she wanted to say. That warm feeling that appeared when she opened the box was slowly starting to bubble and spread threw her body. "Was I supposed to read beneath the underneath?" He nodded. "The necklace?"

"I should have given that to you months ago Sakura." Was his only answer and for a moment she just allowed them to slow dance.

Her mind was still trying to understand everything that happened earlier. She needed more time, yet she knew that time was slowly slipping form her fingers. But for some reason that thought wasn't registering with her. The part of her that was screaming the mission early was silent and now the only thought processing was how she wanted to be wrapped in his arms.

Her body moved without her control and the moment she moved toward his face she felt the pull.

* * *

The moment she reached for him, he knew they needed to go somewhere else, so he picked one of his favorite places and transported them there. His arms were still wrapped around her waist and he tightened them slightly as she regained her footing. Those big emerald eyes finally locked with his mismatched ones. He could see the pain behind those eyes and confusion, but there was also a little bit of something else, something that sent his blood running south.

"Kakashi" she whispered; her face still much closer to his than when they first started dancing.

He said nothing as he released a hand from her waist and reach up for his mask, tugging it down slowly until it hung loosely around his neck. A small gasp escaped her, only causing him to pull her tighter against him. He felt her heartbeat thump quickly and he smiled knowing he was having just as much effect on her as she did on him. God, he had been an idiot.

As slow as he possible could he lower his head, until their lips were almost touching. He wanted to cherish the moment. He wanted to remember everything about it. Form the smell of her sweet perfume, to the touch of her body against his, to the way her eyes sparkled in the setting sunlight. The paused lasted only a moment before he closed the distance.

Using all his strength to be gentle, he let his lips touch hers so lightly he could hardly feel it. The very first kiss was that of a man who had waited years for the moment and feared that it would never come again. It was soft and sweet and full of passion. And then suddenly they were kissing like drowning people breathe—like suddenly they discovered something that has never been so sweet before that moment. Their lips clashed against each other as their built-up emotions over the last year finally came crashing to the surface.

His hands were all over her: on her back, on her face, in her hair. He wanted to feel all of her. His lips pulled up into a slight smirk as he felt her hands roam his body as well. And when he brushed his tongue across her bottom lip, she opened her mouth allowing him entry. Their tongues fought for dominancy as they classed with each other. When Kakashi won a small moan escaped her and he thrived at the sound.

It wasn't until neither one couldn't breathe did they release from the kiss. Sakura's checks were stained red, and for the first time since meeting Kakashi she could see his blush as well. Her eyes left his face and took in their surroundings. "Are we on top of the monuments?" Kakashi nodded as he released his hold on her, instead grabbing her hand leading her closer to the front of the monument. From such a high point in the city they could see everything. The festival lights lighting up the streets, and the sun was just about gone, only the soft oranges were left. Their precious village looked so peaceful and bright.

"I used to come here a lot and think. One day I realized this was the best view in the village." His bigger hand completely encircling over her much smaller one. He squeezed her hand tighter.

"Where do we go from here?" She asked not turning to look at him.

"We go wherever you want us to Sakura. I know we need to work a few things out between us, but we take this as slow as you want to go, even if that's not at all." He spoke slowly, softly.

She nodded, her eyes locking with his again. He could see the hesitation behind them. "Can we talk later tonight at your place?"

"Of course, Sakura."

She smiled, going up on her tiptoes and giving him a small kiss on the check. "For now, we should regroup with the others. The fireworks will be starting soon." Kakashi just smiled down at her before pulling up his mask.

* * *

"Naruto calm down I am sure they will be right here." Sasuke said smacking the dobe on the head. He was tired of hearing him complain about her absence for the last thirty minutes. Sasuke had seen the moment Kakashi and Sakura disappeared from the dance and floor, and a sinking feeling was growing heavier and heavier in his chest. Sakura was leaning forward to kiss him, that Sasuke was sure of. But where the fuck did they go?

"I'm sure she will be right here Naruto-kun." Hinata tried to assure, holding the small brown teddy bear Naruto had won her close to her chest.

"Be right where?" Sakura asked, suddenly appearing out of nowhere.

Naruto jumped and then pointed a finger in her face. "Sakura-chan! I turn my back on you for two seconds and you disappear. You are becoming worse than Kakashi-sensei." Sakura just laughed and playful hit Naruto's arm calling him an idiot.

The Konoha 12 and their senseis were all on top of the weapon shop, their heads turned toward the monuments awaiting the fireworks. Sakura quickly scanned the rooftop and could see a few other jounin had joined them. Her face light up when it landed on Genma. She hadn't seem him all night. She gave a small shoved to Naruto forcing him closer to Hinata and took off to stand next to Genma.

"You look beautiful tonight Sakura-chan." Genma commented, scanning her from head to toe. He too had seen them disappear together, and even now he could tell her hair was slightly messier than before, but she looked happier than she had in weeks.

Her arms wrapped around his waist giving him a quick hug before he could comment. "You don't look to bad yourself."

"Hey where is Konohamaru?!" Naruto yelled suddenly looking all around. "The kids promised to meet back up with us."

"They probably just ran into some of their own classmates Naruto. Let the kids have their fun." Shikamaru said shaking his head. He had gotten his fill of loudmouth blondes to last the rest of the month.

Naruto yelled out something else, but it was drowned out by the first firework going off. Bright organs and greens light up the night sky and all other conversation is stopped. The fireworks go off one right after another. Pinks, purples, yellows, greens, blues, and reds all dance across the night sky.

Sakura doesn't even flinch when she feels someone stand behind her and wrap their arms around her waist. She can see Genma turn and look at her from the corner of her eye, but she is too busy watching the sky change different colors to comment. The arms tighten around her as the leaf symbol explodes in the air. For the next twenty minutes everything seems prefect. Smiles are plastered on every single child in the village. Friends and families gather together to share this special memory.

Everything seemed prefect, but the second the last firework stopped, the first bomb went off…

* * *

Author's note:

Please please comment and like. I want to know what you guys think about it so far. What you might want to see happen. Your reviews is what keeps me writing 3


	12. Chapter 12

They should have been ready.

She had warmed them. They had been told the enemy was coming for one of their own. They had become to arrogant, thinking their fortress was impenetrable. They had been unprepared. Many buzzed or without weapons, the leaf village had been caught off guard, an error that would cost the life of one of their own.

Once the first bomb went off three more followed all at different ends of the village. Their enemy was smart. They were trying to divide the leaf's power…and it worked.

Shinobi took off in different directions. Screams filled the air as the civilians start to run unsure of where to go. Children cling to their mothers as they are shoved and pulled in different directions. Orders were being screamed from several directions. Someone was trying to take charge of the situation but failing.

Sakura wasn't going to wait for orders. She was already racing toward the location of the first bomb. She had felt the slight flare of charka before it disappeared, and it wasn't good. Several of the others from the rooftop were running beside her but there wasn't time to get a head count. A flash of orange catches her eye and she yells out her teammate's name never once reducing her speed.

"Naruto create 100 clones; I need you to try and get the civilians into the underground bunkers." She barked her order, the captain in her taking over.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked angry. Someone had attacked their home and he was just itching to fight.

"Just do it." She snapped already forming the signs to flash-step to the training grounds.

"Sakura wait!" Genma was yelling out but she was already gone. "Fuck!" He screamed. They were here for his partner and she wouldn't even wait for backup.

"It's them isn't it?" Kakashi asked, knowing his answer all ready but needing the confirmation. Genma's silence and building of charka was all he needed for an answer.

* * *

She flash-stepped to the training grounds. The irony hadn't been lost on her. The first bomb had gone off on team seven's training grounds. The message had been read loud and clear. They were here for her, and surprisingly fear wasn't the dominant emotion coursing through her blood stream. All she could feel was the power. She was ready. This moment was coming, she knew this. There had been no way to avoid it. She just wished they would have just gone after her and left her people alone. But she knew her enemy had no honor, so in this fight neither would she.

"Well that didn't take long." A voice taunted.

Sakura quickly forced charka into her eyes, trying to pinpoint the enemy. She couldn't feel the enemy, but she knew they were there.

"Behind you beautiful" the voice calls and she barely doges a punch directed at her face. Sakura quickly turns and tries to sweep the enemy's legs but he is gone.

"Coward" she calls into the trees. She can feel reinforcement approaching, they would be here in under two minutes, she just had to stall.

"Sticks and stones" the voice calls from somewhere in the tree lines. Sakura turns her head to the left and she can barely make out an outline of a person standing on a tree limb. Before the person can finish his taunt Sakura is flash-stepping to his side and aiming a punch to his chest. At the last moment he twists out of the way, her fist still catching in his side, sending him crashing into the forest floor.

Sakura is quick to follow with a kick powered with charka, but the man rolls just in time and she makes contact with the floor, dust and dirt fill the air. When it clears Sakura is crouched in the carter she made, a calculated look on her face. The man quickly stands, and Sakura gets her first good look at the guy and when she does, she feels a small panic form in her gut.

This wasn't the man she was expecting, hell it wasn't even the right organization. There stood an older version of the man she had fought several weeks ago. "What's wrong? You look like you just saw a ghost." The man taunts again as he just stares at her. Sakura says nothing, waiting for her enemy to make the first move. If it was anything like last time, there would be more enemy lying in wait. She was sure there were more of them in the trees, this one was just the diversion.

No sooner did that thought pass her mind another enemy appears to her left, a fireball ripping from his mouth and Sakura has to substitute with a log to avoid the flames. As soon as she hit the other side of the field, she was being attacked by a rain of senbon. A kunai slide down her sleeve and the familiar weight in her hand calms the slight panic as she deflects the needles, quickly jumping into the trees to get a better angle of attack.

The firer user follows and release several flaming shuriken, making Sakura flip backwards onto an adjacent branch. Her foot hit the branch and she feels chakra pool at her feet. "Damn it!" The curse slips out as she tries to push herself off the branch, but her momentum is to strong and the paper tag goes off before she can correct her footing. The blast is strong. Somewhere she quickly notes at least three tags had to have been used.

Sakura is blasted backwards, with no way to right herself in the air she braces herself for the hit when a large weight plows into her. Arms wrap around her as she feels the pull sensation. "Did you really have to run off on your own?" Sasuke asks as he looks down at the girl in his arms.

"At least three shinobi, one is a firer user, right up your ally." Sasuke just puts Sakura down at her explanation. "Same as before. There could be more in hiding." She warns as her and Sasuke go back to back.

"Hn." His sharingan spinning at the thrill of a fight. If they were the same shinobi as before he was going to kill every last one of them.

Their conversation stops there as the three shinobi reappear around them. Each party eyeing the other for a moment before suddenly the three foreign shinobi are sending wind, fire and water attacks. Sakura and Sasuke move in sync as they respond to the attacks. They fight as if they had been teammates for years, as if they had always fought together as one.

Everything moved so fast. There is only a flash of pink or the color red to indicted where the leaf shinobi had been. These men were stronger than the last batch. Sakura thanked whatever god was listening that the first group of enemies had not been up to this caliber. Whoever had sent the first group had learned their lesson, team seven was a force to be reckoned with.

Weapons littered the training grounds; trees were on fire and a whole roll of paper tags used in under a minute. Sasuke and Sakura were still back to back when Naruto's yells filled the small clearing causing the enemy to retreat into the trees.

"Show yourselves you bastards!" Naruto yelled running in the training ground, his eyes bouncing all around. They were going to pay. They were all going to pay for attacking his home. For attacking his family!

Kakashi, Genma, Shikamaru, Neji, Sai, Asuma, Guy, Ebisu, Shino and several others that had been on the weapons rooftop came rushing to the clearing, weapons drawn. Genma made a beeline toward Sakura, his hand clapping down hard over her shoulder, a warning clear. She nodded as she felt the others step closer.

"You know what we want leaf." The same voice booms throughout the training ground.

"Bastards!" Genma screams into the clearing, his grip tightening on Sakura. "We would never turn her over to you!"

All eyes briefly fall on Sakura, being the only girl, as those in the clearing make the connection. Kakashi appeared on her left. Genma on her right, with Naruto and Sasuke quickly taking up the front and rear. "What is he taking about?" Sasuke snapped, his eyes spinning more and more, as the anger built within him.

"Did you not tell them princess?" The voice taunted, and Sakura's fists balled at her side.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

"If you want her, you will have to go through the entire village first." Kakashi threatened, his forehead protector already pushed up, sharingan blazing.

At Kakashi's threat smoke bombs are released. Sakura can feel herself being sandwich by the males around her, providing a protective barrier. With no way to sense their charka signature and with their vision blurred momentarily by the smoke, all the leaf shinobi could do is wait for the enemy to attack first.

Naruto and Sasuke both think back to that time on the bridge. When Zabuza's mist filled the air the first time, they were helpless back then, unable to protect their client. But they were no longer young genin and they would protect their teammate with their life.

The smoke cleared and everyone froze.

There just over the little red bridge was some sort of massive blue barrier surrounding ten foreign shinobi. But what caused everyone to pause was the little boy at the very front of the barrier with a kunai to his throat.

"Konohamaru!" Naruto yelled before taking off, a rasengan in hand. Naruto hits the shield hard and fast, just to be sent flying backwards from the force, rasengan disappearing. Sai is quick to help Naruto brace his fall. But the barrier is unmarked, his attack had down nothing.

"Naruto!" Konohamaru cries out as the kunai is pressed a little harder, making a trickle of blood run down his neck.

Both Asuma and Ebisu charge the barrier yelling "Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet." The fire hits turning to steam, and tears start falling down Konohamaru's face as he realizes the barrier won't be broken easily.

"Your little attacks aren't going to work." The man taunts again, his eyes locking with Sakura. The enemy in the barrier all wore unpainted masks. The only one not wearing a mask was the one talking, holding Konohamaru. No symbol, no special justus, nothing that gave their identities away, just like last time. "You know what I want little kunoichi."

Sakura bite her lip, weighing her options. If Naruto couldn't break through, there was no hope that Kakashi's and Sasuke's chidori would work. She could try breaking the shield but from the way the fire just dissolved, it absorbs charka, making her punches useless.

"Tick tock." He warns when she doesn't move right away. "I won't be patient for long."

Sakura goes to take a step forward but both Kakashi and Genma grab her. "No" Kakashi orders.

"We don't have another option." Sakura warns as she takes another step, dragging both Kakashi and Genma with her.

"Sakura we are not going to allow you to sacrifice yourself!" Neji yells as he steps next to her.

Sai is helping Naruto stand, both of them pleading with her to stop. The rest of the jounin speechless on what to do.

"Shika any ideas?" Sakura asks pausing in her steps. They needed to hurry; the enemy won't hesitate to kill the young genin. When he doesn't respond right away she knows there's not. Shikamaru is always five moves ahead. "It's okay." She turns and looks over her shoulder giving the genius a smile. Slowly she turns around, looking at those around her. She pauses when her eyes lock with Genma and Kakashi. "Please forgive me" she pledges as she flash-steps to the front of the barrier. Shadows shoot out to stop her, but it's too late, she has already entered the barrier.

The sound of chirping erupts out of no where as both Kakashi and Sasuke attack form different sides. But just like Naruto the moment they hit the barrier they are sent flying backyards from the power stolen from their attacks.

Sakura ignores the screams and pledges for her to turn back. Genma, Neji and Shikamaru are all at the barrier trying to force their way in. The man lets go of Konohamaru and he sprints right into Sakura's arms. Her hands already glowing green healing the damage on his neck. His blood stains her dress as she holds him close. "It's okay, they aren't going to hurt you anymore." She tries to assure, as she sends more charka to her eyes. She might not have a blood limit, but her chakra control allowed her to do things others could only imagine.

"They have-"Konohamaru starts only to be silence by Sakura's hand.

A pair of chakra restraints are tossed at her. Sakura catches them easily and a quick glance at them tells them they are the same ones used when trying to take in anbu level captives. "Put them on and the boy walks out." The man says making no move to get closer to her.

"Let the other two go and I just might." She glares as she moves Konohamaru behind her. "Give me Udon and Moegi." She ordered; she wasn't going to put those on until she had all the kids with her.

The man just smirked as his men step to the side revealing the two tied up genin in the middle of their circle. "Put on the cuffs and they are free to go."

Her eyes lock on the kids and then to the leaf shinobi surrounding the barrier. Sakura lifted her left hand and clamped the cuff on. She left the charka pull immediately. Neji and Shikamaru began banging on the shield, and while Sakura could see they were yelling she couldn't hear them. "I put the other one on when they are at my side." She warns as her free hands glows a bright green.

The masked man nodes and Moegi and Udon come running at her just as quickly. The dangerous green turns a lighter one healing any damage on the two crying genin in front of her.

"Sakura-sensei they-they came out of no where they-" Moegi began crying only to have Sakura place a hand on her head. Moegi couldn't place the look in Sakura's eye, she had never seen her sensei with that look before, but in that moment she felt safe.

"It's going to be alright. I promise." Sakura moved her hand from Moegi to Udon and smiled slightly before closing her eyes for a moment.

With her eyes closed she could focus. There was no Shikamaru, Neji, Naruto, Sai, Sasuke, Genma and Kakashi banging on the barrier screaming and throwing everything they had at it to hopefully break it. There were no ten nameless enemies staring down at her, waiting for her to become helpless. All there where was those three genin she had helped train these last three years. They had done nothing wrong; they hadn't even been sent outside the village yet. Their only crime had been knowing her, but she wasn't going to allow them to become victims.

Her plan was set before she opened her eyes, because the moment they opened chaos erupted in the barrier. Faster than she had ever done before she was slapping seals on all three genin, her other hand signing through the necessary signs, skipping every third one, she felt for Naruto's charka signature and pulled with everything she had. From the corner of her eye, she could see the three genin had fallen on top of Naruto making him fall but she didn't have time to focus on that.

The kids were out, and she was moving. With a charka scrapple forming in her right hand she charged the group in front of her, with the goal of taking out the ninja controlling the barrier. The first man that got in her way she cut across the chest, cutting deep enough to hit the heart, sending him falling to his knees before Sakura had even made it two steps. The second man fell just as easily with a slash to the neck.

However, before she could reach the next man she is being tackled to the ground. Her back hits hard and before she can right herself a man is on top of her while two others were grabbing at her wrists trying to cuff her free hand. She twists her right wrist, her thumb and index finger pinching onto the man's wrist before spending a burst of charka throw his vain. Before the man can even scream or react to the act Sakura is bringing her knee up and colliding with back of the enemy on top of her. Two screams fill the barrier as Sakura backflips off the ground. One enemy dead from the charka bubble bursting in his heart, while the other falls to the ground with a broken back unable to move.

Four down, six to go.

The remaining six where no longer holding back after seeing how easy she took down the first four. They might have been order not to kill her, but that went out the window when their fourth man fell. Suddenly a full store supply of weapons are being thrown at Sakura and while she dodges most of them, she still got struck in her left upper arm and thigh. The moment the senbon pierce her skin she can feel the poison enter her system. This poison is different from the other one, its stronger and faster. Sakura can already feel her hands and feet no numb, but she can't stop, not now.

Two come at her from either side, causing her to take the hit from her left but throw an elbow to her right connecting with the enemy's face. The sound of the enemy's skull cracking makes the pain in her side worth it.

Five down. Sakura can tell three of them are purposefully staying back and a gut feeling tells her it's the same three from earlier, probably their strongest shinobi. She goes to flash-step toward them when a hit takes her from behind and she is thrown into the shield. The moment she hits it electricity fills her body, Sakura can see Neji and Sai fall to their knees as well. The whole damn shield must have electrified. Blood pools in her mouth as she falls to her knees. A kick to the face has her falling onto her side.

It hurt. Everything hurt. _Get the fuck up!_ She mentally yelled at herself. _You've been hurt worse before. Get the fuck up and fight!_ Just as quickly she was knocked down, she was back on her feet, she eyes bouncing between the two men cornering her. Sakura balled her hands; her charka was getting low, this needed to end soon.

Her chakra scrapple disappeared, a kunai taking its place. The men charged. A battle of taijutsu began, with Sakura on offense, blocking and dodging. Sakura got an opening when one of the men tripped over one of the bodies and before he could correct his footing a kunai was lodged in his carotid artery, and instead of just pulling it out, Sakura pulled it down, hard and fast.

Blood splattered all over her, but she didn't care, better his blood than hers.

Her eyes locked with the blonde man, but he just stood there with his arms over his chest, watching her. The other two stood perfectly still, but Sakura couldn't tell if that was because they were pumping charka into the barrier and maintaining it or if they were just waiting until she grew tired to fight.

Kunai now discarded on the ground Sakura was left without a weapon, something her enemy took advantage off. A hard kick catch her in the side a loud crack told her ribs were broken before she even hit the ground. She touched the ground for only a minute before the thug was standing over her, a hand grabbing her neck and pulling her up. Her feet hung lifeless for a moment while her fingers tried to pry his hand away. Her airway was quickly being restricted and black dots began forming. When his second hand enclosed around her throat, she looked the masked man dead in the eye, saying a single symbol "kai."

An explosion and a scream both go off, sending both her and her attacker flying in opposite directions. Her head breaks her fall, and the air is knocked out of her. Carefully she rolls to her side where she can see the man lying dead on the ground, both arms blown off and lying several feet from his body. A laugh escapes her as she remembers the same clerk calling her paranoid for getting the special tag made for just this type of occasion.

Seven down.

But when Sakura goes to stand back up, she can't. Her arms and legs won't respond to her commands. She can just helplessly watch as the blonde and one of the remaining mask men approach her.

"Get that all out your system?" The blonde asks before nudging her onto her back with his foot.

"Fuck you" she snaps as she feels the other man move both her arms together, cuffing her free hand. The charka drain hits her quickly and her body cries out in pain.

"Lower the sound barrier, I want her to hear her teammates screaming for her life." The man orders, and the other man left standing in the corner flashes through a series of signs and the sound barrier goes down.

"Sakura don't give up!" She can hear Naruto yelling, and without even looking at her she knows there are tears running down his face. "Get up Sakura! It's not over!"

Unable to respond, she just allows herself to be pulled to her feet by the masked man. Once standing she can see Naruto isn't the only one with tears. Both Genma and Shikamaru have tears in their eyes, while Sasuke and Neji look ready to tear the whole world apart in order to get to her. And then there was Kakashi, his eyes were so pained Sakura flinched at his hurt.

A new wave of panic began to fill her when she felt hands roaming up her leg and under her dress. "LET HER GO NOW!" Naruto began screaming franticly, but the blonde simply ignored him. When his hand hit her weapons pouch, he smiled, slowly lifting her dress until it was right above his target. Sakura tried to get her body to fight but it was no use. The man unclipped the pouch, tossing it to the side, before pulling the dress back down.

The man than stood in front of her. Hand tracing the side of her face. "No wonder they want you. You're so beautiful and full of firer." His hand traveled lower, going down her neck and stopping on her collarbone. "Tell me, did my brother get to at least have you before you killed him?" Sakura eyes widened with fear at the man's words.

"YOU FUCKING SICK BASTARD! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Naruto yelled, and she could see Sasuke and Sai both moved to hold him back. Sakura could tell he was close to releasing part of the nine tails.

"Is that your boyfriend screaming at me to stop?" He asked grabbing her chin and forcing her to look directly at Naruto. Her heart slammed against her ribcage. _"Your boyfriend is what got you in trouble."_ So, it hadn't been a lie she thought sadly. "Or is it the young Uchiha?" He snapped her head from Naruto to Sasuke, and Sakura could do nothing to stop it. "Or perhaps you've been a naughty girl and gone after your sensei when you shouldn't?" He asked bitterly as he snapped her attention to Kakashi.

She tried to fight it, really truly she did, but seeing that look on Kakashi's face broke her. He had never looked so hopeless before and the tears began to form before she could stop them.

"Does this mean I still might have a chance?" He said pulling her to look at him. "If you like older men, I'm sure we would make quiet a pair." His hand left her chin and traveled down her chest, stopping over her breasts. Sakura squeezed her eyes shut and tried to pull back, but the masked man behind her held her still. "What don't to show your boyfriend that you will let anyone have their way with you?"

"Sakura!" Now it was Genma yelling. "Its going to be okay! We are going to get you out of there!" He was trying to calm her down. Trying to assure her that they hadn't given up hope. She couldn't give up. Not after she fought like hell.

At the sound of her partner's voice she was found a little strength, she opened her eyes and spit in the blonde's face. A second later she was being smacked hard across the face and the hold on her faltering slightly to allow her body to move with the impact. Somehow, she found the willpower to kick her leg backwards, nicking the person behind with the small blade in her high heel. Both of them dropped.

Whoever said a little black dress was a girl's best friend, Sakura would take a well-placed fast acting poisonous blade over a dress any day.

"You just don't know when to give up do you?" He asked kicking her hard into the head. A loud ringing sound burst through her head, and she had to fight to keep from throwing up. Fingers were in her hair a second later pulling her up to her knees.

Everything was getting fuzzy. She could not longer fill her limbs. Her charka was gone. And there was still two bastards alive, she had failed. She was going to be taken. There was nothing else she could do besides look at those in front of her. Ebisu and the kids were gone she noted, at least she had succeeded at that.

"Its alright." She weakly called out. "Everything is going to be alright" she said, no longer crying. Because one way or another everything and everyone was going to be alright, she would make sure of it. Her eyes fell on Kakashi and she smiled. She stared at him a second or two before everything went black…

* * *

Before Sakura even hit the floor, they were all attacking. Kakashi and Sasuke hit the shield with chidori, Naruto formed the biggest rasengan possible, Neji was hitting it with his rotation, Shikamaru's shadows formed spikes and were attacking at several different points trying to find a weak spot. Bugs were hitting it in waves trying to absorb the charka shield, while Genma and Asuma hit it with every charka enlaced weapon they had.

But nothing. It didn't even crack. They could do nothing as they watched the man pick Sakura up and throw her over his shoulder, before forming a seal, causing the whole barrier to feel with smoke. Then suddenly the bubble popped and every shinobi on that field was jumping in before it even cleared.

"No! NO! NOOO!" Genma started yelling when the smoke began to clear and all that was left was the dead bodies and her weapons pouch. "NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!" Genma kept screaming as he fell to his knees. They had her. They were going to kill her. He couldn't protect her. The tears followed freely down his face. His partner...Sakura…

"We need to go after them!" Shikamaru said already turning to the trees to take off after her. "There might be a trail!" He went to leap into the trees when Asuma placed a hand on his shoulder stopping him. "No!" He said shoving his mentor off. "We need to go after her!"

"We need to talk with the Hokage." Asuma said softly. He wanted to go after Sakura to, but it wasn't that simple.

"WE NEED TO GO AFTER HER!" Naruto yelled his blue eyes changing to red.

Sasuke walked over to her weapons pouch, picked it up and tossed it to Kakashi. "We can track her through your dogs."

"It's not that simply!" Neji snapped.

"Why the fuck not?" Sasuke challenged back, hands balling at his sides. He was with Shikamaru, he was ready to take off after them NOW.

"The enemy has a substance that makes them untraceable, undetectable. The minute you go running into the forest you won't know which way to go."

"So we do nothing?" Sai asked, his eyes cold and hard.

"We regroup." He said calmly walking closer to the body next to him. "Sakura left one of them alive." He knelt down, feeling for the pulse of the one in front of him. "He's passed out, but alive. He might be able to tell us where to start our search."

Kakashi just stood there unmoving. She had smiled at him. She was scared and in pain and knew they wouldn't be able to get to her, but she had smiled at him and tired to reassure them it was going to be okay. How-how could anyone want to hurt Sakura? How could he stand by and let them do those horrible things to her?!

"How are you so fucking calm?" Shikamaru asked already in Neji face. He was losing it. They lost her. "They fucking took her!" He screamed as a sob broke through him. "She fucking knew they were coming! Why didn't she?! Why didn't we?!" Another sob escaped him, and Neji did something that no one ever expected of him.

He wrapped his arms around Shikamaru and pulled him close. "We ARE getting her back. Calm down. We need your mind to for a plan." Neji pulled back, keeping only a hand on his shoulder to ground him. "We need everyone to calm down. Thinking with our emotions will only get her killed. We need a plan"


	13. Chapter 13

It felt as if a hand had wrapped around her heart and was squeezing with such a pressure that she was going to pass out. Fifteen minutes. It had been fifteen minutes since she had been able to breathe properly. When the small army of men came crashing into her office explaining what had happened, she wanted nothing more than to grab the bottle from inside of her desk and drink. Drink until she didn't remember what was going on. Drink until she couldn't remember what was going to happen. Drink until she couldn't feel this pain anymore.

A special anbu unit had already been sent out after them, but she had little hope. If a sharingan and byakugan user come not tract them, and neither Kakashi nor Kiba could smell her scent, what chance did the anbu unit have?

Her only hope was the man chained to a table in front of her. His back was broken, so he wasn't a flight risk, but she wasn't going to take any chances. She had ordered a shot of adrenaline to hopefully wake him up again, just long enough for Kakashi, Ibiki and Inoichi to do their work. Only a one-way glass, Genma and Shizune kept her from going into the room and beating the man to death until he talked.

Several different high ranking anbu members had come into the room and reported. No casualties. Nothing stolen. Nothing damaged expected from where the bombs had gone off. Civilians were still being kept in the tunnels just in cases there was a second wave of attack, though she doubted it was coming. They had already taken what they wanted.

They had taken her daughter.

* * *

Kakashi felt a strange calmness standing between Inoichi and Ibiki, both were legends in regard to torture and interrogation. Kakashi knew Inoichi looked at Sakura like a second daughter, he could see it in Inoichi's eyes that he was just itching to enter the man's mind and level it into nothingness. Then there was Ibiki. Genma had made an offhand comment months ago that Sakura had been spending a little too much time in this man's presence. Perhaps he had finally taken a pink haired apprentice under his wing. If that was true Kakashi knew this man would spill all his secrets before morning and be buried by noon.

He stood ready to attack. His sharingan exposed and already swirling in anticipation. This man was going to pay, they were all going to pay! Kakashi was going to kill every single last one of them. No one would dare to touch her again when he was done.

When the man's eyes snapped opened, the three men attacked, all wanting to get the information they needed before it was too late.

* * *

"Take a breath." Neji order as he set down a pile of papers on Sakura's kitchen counter. Naruto looked like he was about to shout at him when Sasuke placed a hand on the fox's shoulder. Shikamaru, Neji, Sai, Sasuke and Naruto had left the tower the moment the prisoner was taken away with their Hokage yelling out orders as she left the room. Neji was already autopiloting to her apartment when Sasuke and Naruto joined him. Shikamaru had left to check her office at the hospital with Sai following him. Everyone hoped there would be some clue as to who had taken her.

Sakura was a smart girl. Neji had a gut feeling telling him she had already known who or what was coming after her. He only hoped she had left clues as to who in her personal spaces. But all those hopes scattered when they entered the apartment only to find it had been trashed. Photo frames laid broken on the ground, drawers pulled out from dressers, clothes scattered throughout the apartment. A strong smell of cherry blossom over took their senses, a bottle of her perfume had been broken and left to sweep into the hardwood.

Neji could tell her teammates were about to have a meltdown. The situation was bad enough, throwing in their extra emotions weren't going to help. Every minute they wasted crying about her abduction, was a minute wasted getting her a back, a minute she might not even have.

"She wouldn't have left something important out in the open." Neji said as he moved from the kitchen to her bedroom. This had the worst amount of damage. Random things had been broken or thrown about, hopefully in frustration from not finding what they were looking for.

"What are we looking for?" Sasuke asked his eyes glowing red and bouncing all around her room. This was only the third time he had been in her apartment, there was no way for him to be able to tell if something was amiss.

"A file, piece of paper or photo. Anything that might help guide us." Neji said opening her closet door, his checks heating slightly at the sight of her thongs and bras thrown all over the floor. Quickly he started going through the drawers, his hands checking above, in-between and under each one. By the time he was done Sasuke and Naruto had both left to check the bathroom and kitchen once more.

He felt the pull in his eyes as he called forth his special blood trait. Everything was to messy. Sakura had never been a messy person, so the hiding spot would have had to be well hidden. They had been searching over an hour. It had been almost been two hours since she was taken.

"Come on Sakura-san please have left us something to go on" he pledged as he dropped into a crouch to behind searching through the clothes on the floor.

"NEJJJJIIIII!" Naruto yelled from the front room and Neji immediately jumped up and left the room. Years later he would blame his inability to control his own emotions and Naruto for his inability to be quiet, for the reason why he missed the small creek the floorboard made in the shift in his weight. Maybe if he had been a member of the Inuzuka clan his hearing would have caught it. But as he fled the apartment to rejoin everyone at the tower, the information he so desperately needed laid forgotten about between silk and hardwood.

* * *

All hell had broken lose. From the minute the first bomb had exploded there had been a shift in the energy around the village Jiraiya could feel it, deep in his bones, the village would never be the same. He couldn't ignore what the kid had brought to his attention. He hadn't slept well since their little chat. How she had figure something like this out he would never understand. Sakura had withheld information from him, that much he was sure. But his godson spoke so highly of her, trusted her completely, Jiraiya couldn't help but take her words as truth. Hell, he could even understand why she wouldn't want to share all the details.

This was a suicidal mission. There was no way Sakura Haruno would walk away in one piece, even if everything went according to her plan. This had gotten to big. To many different types of people were involved, with no way to solve the problem without drawling attention from the other villages. And if she was wrong, she would be killed for treason, along with everyone else she had gotten involved. Not even the Hokage could protect her.

Jiraiya hadn't meet someone so willing to sacrifice everything since **him** …

Sakura was an important person to this village, regardless if she thought her life was worth sacrificing. Every single person in the Hokage's office would argue differently. He could see the way Tsunade's heart was breaking, and how she was struggling to keep her emotions in check. Kakashi was still deep in T&I, hoping to get something useful out of the prisoner. Something that would help guided they were to start looking for their comrade. His godson was barely being restrained by the young Uchiha. Jiraiya could feel the way the nine tails' charka was swirling deep within Naruto, just waiting to be released. The seal the frog master had in his pocket felt heavy, as the anger in the room counited to build. The other young shinobi in the room were faring no better, it seemed every single person from Naruto's graduating class was inside this room demanding to be sent out in search of their friend.

To the right of Tsunade stood two clan heads. The one who stood out the most was the leader of the Aburame Clan, Shibi. Shibi's face was set in stone, giving nothing away as to way he was here. Shikaku was on the other side of Tsunade, and he's eyes had remained locked on his son since the moment Shikamaru had came running into the office, his emotions clear as day on his face.

"What are we doing wasting time? Every moment we waste is another moment the enemy is putting distance between us and her." Surprisingly it was the Uchiha who snapped at the Hokage before him.

Tsunade drew in a breath to center herself. She needed to think with a clear head. She needed to approach this as she would if anyone else had been taken. "I am only going to say this once so listen up." She said her words laced with power. Now was not a time to show weakness. Her shinobi was before her looking for guidance and help, and she needed to be a Hokage before she was a grieving mother. "Anyone who cannot approach this situation with a clear and level head, get out of my office now." She paused and allowed the twelve shinobi before her to clam down. "Rushing into anything with thinking and preparation will only get more of my shinobi killed or injured, and this is something I will not allow. Do I make myself clear?"

"Hai!" echoed across the room.

"Not everyone in this room will be sent out. Regardless of who was taken we cannot allow our defense to be weekend. The Leaf must be ready for a second round of attacks, especially if another village is behind this. If I call your name step forward, if your name is not called report to the roof for further instructions. Shikamaru, Ino, Neji and Shino please step forward, the rest of your file out."

"No." Naruto answered strangely clam, even as the charka coiled dangerously within him. "If you think for one moment team 7 is going to stay inside the village you don't know us very well Granny."

"Naruto you need to understand-" Jiraiya tried to reason with his godson but was quickly cut off.

"We are a family! Either assign us to this mission or we will leave on our own accord." Naruto threated. Sai and Sasuke nodded their heads in agreement and stepped closer to their loudmouth teammate.

"If you leave this village and disobey a direct order you can kiss your dream of becoming Hokage goodbye." Tsunade said angerly pointing at Naruto. "And you will fine yourself serving out the rest of your probation deep within one of our cells in T&I." Her finger shift to Sasuke, but neither ninja so much as flinched.

"Sakura is more important. I will not sit back and do nothing. You can punish me when we get back granny, but I AM going after my teammate." Naruto challenge walking closer to her desk. "Now explain what your plan is before we waste any more time."

Tsunade looked around her office and saw all the other ninja nodding in agreement. Fucking hell, she thought. Deep down she knew this was what was going to happen. It was just wishful thinking that the male members of team seven would stay behind and strength the wall's strength. "One step out of line any of you" she threated her eyes bouncing between the two young males in front of her, "and your captain will be sending you back to the village, either willing or unconscious." Everyone in the room nodded. "File out. One of my anbu captains is waiting on the roof to give out further instructions." Those not called quickly left the office, but not before giving their words of encouragements and support to the retrieval squad.

Once Jiraiya was satisfied that everyone was focused and as clam as they were going to get, he motioned for Shibi to step forward. The bug leader turned toward the Hokage; his hand stretched out holding a single beetle. Shino stepped forward his eyes widening slightly behind his glasses as the understanding dawned on him. "This is a genetically modified beetle related to the Bikochu Beetle. If you get within 1000 miles of her, or anything that might have her scent or charka signature this beetle will lead you to it."

"When did you-" Tsunade started to ask, kicking herself for not having come up with the idea.

"I had him place the beetle on her the moment she was released from Shiranui's care." Jiraiya clarified.

"The enemy you are about to face we know little about. It is believed to be the same group that attacked team seven several weeks ago. Our sources lead us to believe Sakura was their only target, but there is no way confirm this suspicion. Your enemy has developed a substance that makes them nearly untraceable. Their scent and their charka signatures are masked, even kekkei genkais can't see through it." Shikaku explained.

"Where are we supposed to know where to even start looking?" Shikamaru asked his father, his mind already hard at work trying to narrow down possible locations.

Before anyone could answer Shizune is running through the door a piece of paper clenched tightly in her palm. "They did it." She says in between breathes, having run as fast as she could. Tsunade glances at the paper, her eyes narrowing into dangerous slits.

"You all have fifteen minutes to gather your gear and meet at the main gate. Your captains will explain the details on the way. Dismissed." No one needed to be told twice, they were gone before even giving a response.

"Where?" Jiraiya asks placing a hand on Tsunade's shoulder.

"Sound." The single word turned her stomach and her panic only grew.

* * *

 _The first time he found her waiting inside his apartment he was paralyzed with fear. Her soft sobs could be heard even though she was sitting on the ground, leaning against his bed, with her head pushed into one of his pillows on her lap. From what he could tell she had come from her home. It was easy to tell she was wearing one of Genma's old jounin long sleeves, and a pair of black spandex shorts that barely covered anything. For a moment Kakashi didn't even move as he study the young women in front of him. Her chakra rose and fell as she struggled to keep her emotions in check._

" _Sakura-chan" he called softly as he slipped off his shoes at the front door before taking a step toward her. She tensed slightly but made no effort to move. He closed the distance between them quickly, before sitting besides her, unsure of what to do. The clock in the corner of the room read 2:30am and he had no way of telling how long she had been here. After five minutes when she hadn't said anything Kakashi gently picked her up and moved her into his lap, discarding the pillow she had been clenching to in the process. Without the pillow to hold she switched her attention to Kakashi's vest, as she grabbed onto it as she buried her face into his neck. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, as her tears wetted his mask._

 _He was at a lost for what to do. He wasn't sure what he needed to do to make her feel better. He wanted so desperately to at least make the tears stop so they could talk, but he remained silent as sobs shock her small frame. How long had she been holding them in? Knowing if she showed her true pain that her former teammate, her first love would be sentenced to death for it._

 _Shortly after three the sobs slowly stopped, and her breathing evened out. "I'm sorry" she mumbled into his neck; her voice laced with ashamed._

 _He could only hug her tighter. "You have nothing to be sorry for Sakura. I am here for you; I'm not going anywhere. Okay?" She only nodded as her response. "What happened?" He asked pulling back slightly so he could see her face. Her beautiful eyes were blood shot and her face was covered in tear streaks. A few pieces of strands had fallen into her face, and he gentled pushed them back, before wiping the rest of her tears away with his gloved hand._

 _Sakura's grip on his vest hadn't lessened. He figured she just need something to ground her, and he was all to willing to be her rock this time around. To be there for her, to make up for all the times he wasn't. When was the last time he had been this gentle with someone? When had he allowed himself to be in such a vulnerable emotional state?_

 _Her eyes locked onto his and she took a deep breath. "I was sleeping but then the nightmares took over."_

" _What happened in the nightmares?" Kakashi regretted the second he asked because her eyes instantly filled with unshed tears. "You might feel better if you talk them out Sakura."_

 _She closed her eyes, "I killed Tsunade-sama, Genma, Naruto and you," she whispered. Her fingers shaking slightly as her grip tightened. "You were begging and pleading with me to stop. We fought, until I tore both your ATLs and you couldn't run away." She stopped chocking a sob that threaten to break lose._

" _Then what happened?" He ask his hand rubbing small circles in her back. His heart was breaking into two at the pain in her voice. He could only imagine what Sasuke had made her see in the illusion, and what her subconscious has been torturing her with every time she tried to sleep._

" _I began torturing you. I-I-" Her words cut off as the tears began to follow again._

" _Shhh." He whispered, his hand moving from the small of her back to cup her head as he pulled her close. "I'm right here. Nothing has happened."_

" _But what if-"_

" _But nothing Sakura." He said firmly. "You would never do anything to hurt the people you love." She said nothing as she listened to his steady heartbeat. "I know you. Whatever monster Sasuke lead you to believe you are is untrue. Do not mistake who you truly are for who you saw in his jutsu."_

 _They lapped into silence once more. Both content to just hold onto each other. When her breathes finally evened out, only then did he dare to move. Carefully he stood and carried Sakura to his bed. Her pink hair stood out against his black sheets but even in her distressed state even he could admit her beauty. He went to sleep on his couch when her hand caught his wrist. "Please stay with me" she said so softly, Kakashi could only figure she was still half asleep._

 _He pulled off his vest, discarding it to the chair in the corner of the room before untying his headband and placing it on the dresser. The bed dipped at his added weight, but she didn't stir. He checked to make sure the blankets were covering Sakura before pulling her into him. His arm wrapped just below her breasts and her head fit perfectly under his chin. "I will always be with you. As long as I am here no one will hurt you Sakura-chan." His promised rang out in the quiet room as he held onto the women he had already sworn to protect with his life so many years ago._

* * *

His promise to keep her safe kept replying over and over again in his head. How many had he made the same promise to only to fail them in the end? But he couldn't let that happen, not this time, not with her.

The cold air bite at his skin as they raced through the trees. The squad hadn't talked much since they left the gates. He could feel Naruto's struggle to keep his charka from flaring, and he was all to aware of the seal Yamato had in his right chest pocket if Naruto failed at keeping himself in check. His ninken were spread out within five-mile radius of the main group, hoping to pick up any traces of her scent. So far, they had found nothing. No blood. No torn clothing. No footprints. Nothing. All he could do was pray to any gods he could think of that the prisoner had given them the correct information, and that they hadn't just wander into a trap.

Their squad had been broken up into several teams. Kakashi was the leader of the mission, given his tracking abilities and field experience. Radio was the second in command, following Yamato. Team one was made up of Kakashi, Shizune, Genma and Shikamaru. Team two was Radio, Neji, Shino and Sai. Team three was Yamato, Naruto, Sasuke and Ino. Each team had a medic, short range and long-range fighter in case they needed to split up.

They had been traveling at top speed for twelve hours before Kakashi finally called a break. Ino was struggling to keep up with their pace, but he understood why she had been assigned to this mission. They needed Ino and Shizune for when they found her. They had to be prepared for any medical state she might be in. Kakashi could tell the other members also needed a break. Even if Naruto argued his team could go ahead, it was safer to stop while they were in Fire before they crossed into Rice.

"The beetle has yet to pick up on any of her signatures." Shino stated, glancing between the older jounin. Kakashi refused to look at him, he simply formed a simple hand signs, calling back his dogs.

Within seconds, Pakkun and Bull appeared before him. Bull's head was down, a low whimper could be heard coming from him. Pakkun was struggling to maintain eye contact with his master. He hadn't seen his master look so…broken…in a long time. Kakashi hadn't been the only one to care about the pink kunoichi. All the dogs had been pushing themselves. Spreading themselves wider than order just hoping to catch something of hers.

"Nothing boss." Pakkun answered the unasked question. His eyes glanced at those around the clearing. Genma had a hand on Shizune's shoulder whispering something to her. It was easy to tell they were trying to draw some kind of comfort from one another. Naruto hadn't sat down; he was spacing back and forth muttering cruses under this breath. Sasuke and Neji both still had their bloodline on, eyes bouncing between the trees around them. Shikamaru was sitting on the ground, his back against a tree, his face buried in his hands. Ino stood close to her teammate, her eyes slightly glazed over as she fought the tears. Shino had several bugs flying around, double checking they hadn't missed anything. Sai, Radio and Yamato just stood around the clearing, silent, as they watched those around me.

This team was a mess. Why the Hokage thought sending shinobi that had been personally close to Sakura was a good idea, Pakkun didn't understand. Everyone was emotional and when dealing with these types of situations, emotions could only get yourself killed. Pakkun made a mental note to have the dogs pay extra close to Kakashi. He was worried. They all were, not only about Sakura, but for Kakashi…if they couldn't find her, or worse were to late, Kakashi would be destroyed.

"How could they just disappear like that?" Radio asked his hand balling at his side. "We've had our security increased ever since the meeting. How the fucked did they get in the village in the first place?" He hissed.

"Not only get in the village but know what training ground to target." Shikamaru said raising his head. "Anyone else notice they chose the same ground your team has always used to train?" He asked looking between Kakashi and Yamato.

"Wait." Sasuke said his iris spinning even faster as he turned to face Radio. "Meeting?" He questioned, and all the older jounin were now on guard. "The man she fought; he had told Sakura you know what we want." He took a step toward Kakashi, his chakra starting to gather.

"No way" Naruto whispered as he stopped pacing and turned toward Kakashi. Kakashi didn't say anything. He simply shut his eyes and took a breath. That was the only answer Naruto needed. "You fucking bastard!" Everyone blinked and suddenly Naruto was in front of Kakashi his hands gripping Kakashi's vest as he held him against a tree. "You fucking knew she was in trouble and didn't tell us!" He growled, his blue eyes becoming covered in specks of red.

"Naruto clam-" Neji started but was quickly cut off.

"You can fuck off to Hyuga." Sasuke snapped. "You too Nara. Both of you knew. Your melt down on the training ground, she knew who was after her didn't see." Ino gasped. Sasuke just shock his head. "For claiming that you love her, you sure as hell didn't protect her."

Shikamaru was on his feet the second the insult was out of Sasuke's mouth. "You do not get to sit here and say we haven't looked after her traitor. We are not the ones who almost killed her." He went to advance toward Sasuke but Ino catch his arm. Tears were following down her face, and her hand shock where she held him.

Kakashi said nothing as Naruto released him. How could he? Maybe if he had told the rest of the team she wouldn't have been taken. They would never know.

"What is he talking about?" Naruto asked his eyes changing to a blood red, as he turned his attention from Kakashi to Sasuke.

"Take a breath Naruto." Sai warned as he got directly in front of his view of Sasuke. "Now is not the time for this."

But Naruto wasn't having it. "What did you do!" He shouted. He had known something had happened. Sakura wouldn't even be in the same area as Sasuke. He wasn't an idiot.

Sasuke didn't respond, he just looked onto Shikamaru. His eyes promising pain. Shikamaru didn't even flinch.

"Sakura discovered that she had been the main target of your original mission." Shizune's voice stopped any other insult the three boys had been ready to throw at each other. "When she report to the Hokage, she specifically asked that no one be notified, especially not the members of team seven." Shizune took a breath and felt Genma squeeze her shoulder. "We had reason to believe that there is a leak inside the village. Sakura wanted to use herself as bait to lure them out."

"But why now? She couldn't use charka properly." Ino asked, still holding tightly onto Shikamaru.

"Because that is when she would be most vulnerable." Shino answered.

"Tsunade only had a handful of specialized jounin notified. If there is a leak, we had to limit the number of people who knew. Team seven has always been overprotective of Sakura-chan. If any of you had known there would have been no way to set the trap. Sakura understood this, she was the one to push for it. No one in this clearing is to blame." Shizune's voice continue to raise, to the point of almost yelling.

"So cut the bullshit" Genma finally spoke angry. "We are wasting time we do not have. Get the fuck over yourselves. If you can't handle your emotions go back to the village. Sakura needs us to be at our best. I will not allow anyone to jeopardize this mission."

Naruto took a deep breath and held it, until his eyes changed back to their normal blue. "We are headed to sound, is there any bases near by we should be looking for Sasuke?"

The question finally had the group back on focus. Genma was right. She needed them, failing wasn't an option.

* * *

Darkness.

That had been she first thought when she finally managed to open her eyes, not that it mattered. There was a blindfold across her face. Her second coherent thought had been pain. Everything felt like it was on fire. She had to bite her tongue to prevent the whimper that wanted to desperately escape. Instead she focused her energy on her breathing. If someone was in the room with her, they hadn't noticed she was awake, and she planned to keep it that way for as long as possible.

She was lying on the floor. It was concrete so she was at least in some type of building. She didn't feel any type of breeze or inflow of air, so she was either in a room with no windows, or they were shut. Sakura didn't dare try to move her hands. She was laying on her left side, and she could tell the way both of her shoulders were pulled back that her hands were bound.

Panic was starting to bubble in her chest. Whatever poison they had used was still in her system but at a considerably lower level. She felt her charka deep within her, but she couldn't call it forward. Unsure if the poison was affecting her charka, if there were seals on her or if the restraints were charka draining, she had no choice but to wait. She still felt extremely sluggish but there was no way to judge the amount of time had passed since the fight.

She stayed like that for several hours, not moving, keeping her breathing constant and her heartbeat low before she heard a door swing open. The door hit the wall with a slam, and she noted it sounded like metal on metal. Several sets of footprints entered in the room before the door slammed shut and clocked.

Without a single word spoken a foot comes into hard contact with her back sending her falling to her stomach. A whimper escapes her before she can stop it. Suddenly she feels someone grab her arm before shoving a needle in. The rush of drugs hit her immediately. She goes to cruse them out, no longer needing to for go sleep, but the words die in her throat.

"Strip her." The cold command echoes in the room. Sakura's panic only increases as she feels several pairs of hands on her. She tries to struggle but she can't move. Can't even get her mouth to move to unleash the threats she wanted so desperately to make.

She can feel the kunai glide against her skin as they cut through her dress. A trickled of blood formed as the kunai nicks different areas of her skin. The weapon moves from her left side, down each arm before cutting down her right. Another pair of hands grab the dress and yank it out from under her. The cold concrete already starting to suck away what little warmth the dress had provided.

Tears begin to form when they start touching her.

She tries to jerk away when they start unclicking her earnings then her necklace. Her heels had been long gone. Leaving her only in a white laced thong and bra. Sakura began praying to whatever god was listening that this wouldn't turn into that kind of torture…

"Our time with you is limited Sakura-chan" his voice dripped with sweetness, and it made her stomach twist into a knot. The voice belong to the only man she had faced that happened been wearing a mask. The older brother of the man she had killed weeks ago. "The drugs we just injected you with was provided by our contractor. You won't be able to speak, let alone move, but you should be aware of every little thing we have planned for you."

A hand was suddenly in her hair and pulling her up. She could do nothing as they pulled her to her knees. The grip was painful and her knees stun from the harsh contact. Sakura can hear glass break in front of her; from the sound of the crash several large pieces were broken. Without warning cold water is thrown on top of her and she is shoved forward. Glass cuts into her unprotected skin and she squeezes her eyes shut trying to clam the panic threatening to take over.

"You killed several of my men. While impressive, this cannot go without punishment regardless of who has contracted us." She can hear the men that had been next to her previously take a step back. Before she could begin to contemplate why a whip makes contact with her back.

The skin tears instantly and the pain is so severe Sakura thinks she is going to throw up. The second lash comes before she can recover and even without the ability to form words a hiss escapes her. The third one came hard and she felt her bra break. Her blood felt warm as it ran across her cold skin. The four one had her seeing stars and she only hoped she passed out or went into shock before it got any worse.

No one was talking. No one moved expect the one delivering the blows. She couldn't see, couldn't move. Couldn't even form thoughts as the blows just continued to follow one right after the other. Being on her stomach on the floor meant she couldn't even roll with the lash. Her body had to absorb the full power of the attack. Each lash moved her against the broken glass beneath her making her bleed from both sides.

When she counted to fifty, she stopped trying to keep the tears at bay. This was a different kind of pain from one she had ever experienced, and she was utterly helpless. She couldn't remember the last time she had such little power. When they hit 100 her body had almost gone into shock. Someone had given her a shot of adrenaline, preventing the only escape she could take.

By the time they hit 120 Sakura was calling on her inner for the first time in years. But the once loud voice that had always been there was now silent.

Sakura had no one. She could nothing expect take the blows.

* * *

He should have known better.

The moment he was informed of the attack he should have retrieved her, regardless if it was time or not. He allowed her to get under his skin and pressured him into waiting. Now she was paying for it, paying for his mistake.

He moved so quickly he was barely even a blur among the trees. The summons hadn't been what he was expecting. They had been caught off guard, but if he could just get to her in time, not unprepared. Things had just started to fall into place, he refused to let anything ruin their careful planning.

To many lives would be lost if they failed.


	14. Chapter 14

" _Hold still Kakashi" she giggled as she moved even closer to him._

" _Your hands are freezing" he half complained. Her hands rested on both sides of his temple, and while there was hesitation in her eyes, she was calm, and he wanted so desperately to keep it that way. "You're going to give this old man a cold."_

 _This time she did lightly smack him for his antics, before placing her hand back right next to his closed eye. "You're not old, stop being a baby" she scolded._

 _His headband laid forgotten next to them in the grass. They had spent the entire morning training, before she had worked up enough courage to ask for a favor. For a split second he had thought about turning her down, but knew if he did, she would probably never ask him again. He wasn't sure if a month was enough time to help her process what happened, but if she was willing to take the next step, who was he to question it._

 _So, there they sat in in the middle of the training ground. Kakashi was crisscrossed, while Sakura was kneeling in front of him. If anyone had stumbled upon them, they would definitely be getting the wrong idea. They had been in this position for at least ten minutes, his one colored eye remained closed, waiting until she was ready for him to open it._

 _A dark grey eye continued to look into the emerald ones in front of him, holding perfectly still. He wanted her to have compete control over the situation. Wanted her to have the control Sasuke had taken away from her since their fight._

 _Sakura locked eyes with him, a slightly blush covering her checks. "I feel ridiculous asking this of you." She admitted._

" _Don't be." He reassured, moving his hand to rest on her upper thigh. "If you want to try this another time, we can Sakura, there is no rush."_

" _I-" she paused unsure of what to say. "I trust you." She smiled and nodded for him to open his sharingan eye. A warm feeling filled his chest. She trusted him. The weight of those words were not lost on him. In the shinobi world it was dangerous, foolish to trust anyone. To give someone trust, gave them the opportunity to hurt you. But the way she had said the words filled him with such a pride, he couldn't understand the feeling. When was the last time someone had said those words to him and meant it as much as Sakura had?_

 _His grip on her knee tightly slightly as he reveled his colored eye to her. The version of her became so much clearer to Kakashi. Her skin seemed to almost sparkle from the sun reflexing of the little bit of sweat that still clung to her skin from their match. The way her heartbeat seemed to beat out of her chest as she studied him just as intently. Her hair falling in her way as she moved closer to his face._

" _May I?" She asked before moving any closer._

 _He simply nodded, before feeling her hands run over his scar. Her light fingertips sent a wave of shivers through him. Kakashi felt so vulnerable, he never let anyone touch his eye, never let someone get this close to him willingly._

 _Her breathe catch in her throat when the sharingan began to spin and he worried she would pull away. But instead she moved her other hand from his temple and gripped his hand on her knee._

" _What are you thinking?" He asked unable to place the look in her eyes._

" _That your eyes are truly stunning," She said quietly before leaning in more until they were barely centimeters apart. For a few seconds both hold their breath, unsure what the other is thinking. Then suddenly she traces his scare once more, before smiling. "I forget how pretty your eyes are when they are always buried in that book of yours." Sakura laughed again before pulling back._

" _Sakura-" He calls out wanting to ask what that moment between them was._

" _Are you hungry sensei? It seems only fair that I offer to buy you lunch after I kicked your ass in our match." Sakura stands not waiting for an answer._

 _Kakashi does the same, before tying his forehead protector back on. "You didn't win Sakura-chan, I went easy on you."_

" _Sure, you did old man." She teased sticking her tongue out at him._

 _After they ate lunch, Kakashi walked her back to her apartment. He turned to walk back to his apartment desperately needing a shower, when he left a pair of arms wrap around him._

" _Thank you" is her only comment before she quickly turns and climbs the stairs to the apartment._

 _He doesn't question the smile that forms on his lips as he makes his way home._

 _Baby steps._

 _Sooner or later he would make sure she was whole again._

* * *

Hope was beginning to bubble in her chest, and she desperately wished to stop it. Shino's beetle had finally picked up something of hers. They had all been pushing it the last few hours following Shino as they made their way deeper into rice country. The group had been silent for the most part since yesterday when the fight had broken out.

Naruto had refused to talk with Sasuke when he tried to pull him aside to explain what had happened when they had taken the next break. Tension in the group had risen, but everyone was trying to remain focused on finding Sakura. If they could just get to her, she could just explain everything, and things would go back to normal.

Just as Naruto had the power to turn his enemies into friends, Sakura had the ability to bring out the best in those around her. Ino just knew she would be able to make things right. She would know just what to do to make things right. Ino knew how much Sakura cared for her teammates, she wouldn't want them behaving like this. Forehead had to have a good reason keeping everyone in the dark. That big head of hers had to have had a plan.

"It's very near." Shino spoke slowing down.

"I do not sense any charka signatures around us." Neji commented, his blood limit activated. "Though that does not mean no one is here."

Kakashi quickly called his dogs back, before assigning his dogs to different members in the group. "If you find anything radio it in." He said before taking off with Shikamaru and Pakkun.

Yamato signaled for Ino to follow him, and with the help of Bull they started their search to the southwest. "Keep your eyes open Ino. The beetle could be picking up something as small as a blood drop."

"Hai" she responded, stepping closer to Bull. Ino knew these dogs loved Sakura and knew her scent like the back of their paws. If anyone could pick up on her scent it would be them. Hope fluttered in her chest again when Bull took off running.

Yamato and Ino followed closely behind, their senses on high alert waiting to encounter the enemy, but when Bull just stopped, Ino felt the hope die a little. Yamato knelt besides Bull, before pulling a single strand of pink hair from the dirt.

They hadn't found her…

"We found something" Yamato voice echoed through the radio system. He stood from the ground examining the strand of hair.

"I don't see any footprints. How are they able to travel this far so fast, leaving no traces behind?" Ino asked looking around for any clues.

"What did you find?" Kakashi asked appearing out of nowhere with Shikamaru. Yamato was quick to pass it to Kakashi. Ino heard Kakashi suck in a sharp breath before quietly muttering "good girl Sakura."

Ino looked to Shikamaru for guidance, but he looked just as lost. Before she could ask what was going on, the others were regrouping. As soon as Genma saw what Kakashi was looking at he beelined right toward him.

"Please tell that is what I think it is." His voice sounded almost hopefully.

"What is going on?" Naruto demanded. "Where is Sakura-chan?"

Kakashi held it up for the whole group to see.

"That being here only means she was here at one point. We have no idea where she could be now." Shikamaru snapped. They were wasting time. Finding one strand of hair wasn't going to help them. The enemy could have gone in any direction or placed it to throw them off their trail.

"There is a small amount of charka in it." Yamato began explaining. "It's one of the first justus taught to new anbu members. If she left anymore markers in the area, we will be able to sense it."

Kakashi lifted his headband up, making Neji and Sasuke call forth their blood limit as well. "Everyone stretch your senses as far as you can. Yamato go ahead." Yamato hand seals moved to quick for Ino to follow.

"There." Neji called out pointing to the left of her. "About fifteen miles that way I sense her chakra signature."

"She-she left a trail?" Naruto asked stumbling over his words. Ino could see the excitement flash behind his eyes. "Then we can track her?"

"Only one way to find out." Yamato said before turning and disappearing into the trees.

The others quickly joined.

It wasn't until they found the second marker and then the third that Ino realized that the level of skill needed to pull something like this off, wasn't normal jounin level.

Yamato had said anbu member…did that mean forehead had become one of them? Ino couldn't help but wonder when the little girl that used to cry about her forehead grew up and got so strong.

* * *

They had finally left her alone. But not before chaining her in the middle of the room. She was suspended in the air, with her arms tied above her head, her feet barely off the floor. Sakura couldn't remember the last time she had felt so exposed. Blindfold and bleeding form multiple wounds all over body was not helping keeping the panic at bay.

She had lost count how many times the whip had come crashing down against her back. The adrenaline had finally worn off, and she welcomed the bone chilling numbness that had taken over. At least with the numbness she could finally think.

For the last half hour she kept reviewing all the information she had gathered. She was certain that he was behind this. There was no way he couldn't be. Somewhere she had fucked up. He had found out she was after him. She was a loose end that he had to take care of.

But she knew him, if he did truly know what she been up to, he would want to do it himself. He would want to pick her apart until he had all the information she had. He was a sadistic bastard; he would prolong it. He was to arrogant, he thought everyone was beneath him, and that would be his downfall. Sooner or later her partner or team would come after her, and when that happened there would be hell to pay.

Her metabolism was quickly working on breaking down whatever poison they had given her. And with each minute that passed she felt a little bit more of her strength returning. She would get out of this situation. She HAD to. To many people were counting on her.

She could take the pain. Whatever they wanted to throw at her, she was going to sit there and take it until the moment was right. Soon her main target would be here and when that happened, she would take back what had been stolen. They had suffered enough; she was going to make it right.

Just as she was about to test the chains, she felt one of her justus break. A smile broke out on her face.

No sooner had the jutsu been broken did the door swing back open and three pairs of footsteps entered. Suddenly a rough hand was in her hair, grabbing the blindfold and ripping it off, pulling several strands of her hair out with it.

Her eyes fought to adjust to the sudden light, as she tried to take in her surroundings. Her first thought had been right. She was inside a windless room, with a metal door as the only entrance point. There was a drain in the middle of the room, and she could see to the left of her the broken glass and blood stains hadn't been cleaned up.

The blond stood in front her, the same two masked shinobi from early stood behind him. A kunai was being twirled between his fingers. "My friends here have a couple questions they want to ask you. If you were smart you would answer the first time they ask."

"Fuck off" she snapped and tried to pull away when one of the masked ninjas step forward and shoves another needle into her arm. The poison enters into her system and her stomach turns as the body tires to fight against it.

"Where is the file?" The one who gave her the shot asked monotoned. No emotion in his words.

When she doesn't answer the blond walks to the right of her. "So full of firer." He smirks and Sakura has to struggled to turn her head to follow his movements. The tip of his kunai rests at the top of her tattoo on her right shoulder. "So young to have such a tittle don't you think?" He asked grabbing her arm with his free hand. She doesn't answer either questions. "I would have liked to have your body to remain in tack for when they were done with you and it was my turn, but I guess you leave me no choice." The kunai cuts deeply into her muscle as he traces the outline of the tattoo. She bites back the scream and tries to focus on her breathing.

She could take it.

She could take all of it so no one else would have to ever again.

* * *

"Status report" Tsunade barked to the anbu squad in front of her. It had been almost a full 48 hours since the first bomb went off, and the village was still on high alert. Women, children and elderly remained in the tunnels, while the men and shinobi worked to strength the security of the village. While the likelihood of a second attack was low it couldn't be completely ruled out, and with so many of her best shinobi out of the village she couldn't take the risk.

The anbus before her were silent, still on their knee with their heads bowed. Only the anbu captain stood to give his report. His white mask resembled an eagle, and the bold red lines stood out in the darkness. "Only four bomb locations. Our squads have swept the entire village and we have found no sign of additional explosives. Haruno's apartment and office at the hospital were ransacked."

"Any idea how they got into my secured village and left with my apprentice with no fucking clues left behind!" Tsunade screams, her hand slamming on the desk. Several files fall to the ground. The anbus in front of her don't even flinch. She stands no longer being able to hold still. "How did this group, who hold claim to no village, figure out which training ground she used?!"

"We are looking into possible leaks." The man's voice is ruff and strong. Tsunade takes a breath to calm herself. "Our rotations have been changed; our shift change mixed. Any information gathered from an outsider watching will now be useless."

The Hokage turns to look out her window overlooking her empty village. She could see one of their hawks quickly approaching the tower, no doubt a response from the Kazekage.

The door to her office opens and closes. "I found nothing." Jiraiya states walking closer to Tsunade.

"Very well. Begin clearing the tunnels. I want an anbu stationed every five blocks in the civilian district. I want a chunin on every level and substation in the hospital. Have Ibiki increase security at T&I. Order the genin to help with whatever the civilians need, whether that be food, water or medication. The jounin will continue to maintain the wall until further notice." She order as she continued to look over her village.

The anbu disappear from the office, leaving no evidence behind. Jiraiya moves to join Tsunade at the window, placing a hand on her shoulder as he comes to stand on her side. She leans into him, needing the support of her childhood teammate.

"I can't lose her." Tsunade's once powerful voice whispers in the quiet office. Her eyes squeeze tight as she tries to fight the tears. She reminds herself she needs to be strong. Her people will be looking to her for guidance. If she was to break down, what would her people think?

"We will get her back" Jiraiya reassures squeezing her shoulder harder. "You trained her yourself. Whatever happens, Sakura won't go down without a fight." He steps away from her and begins gathering the files that got knocked over. Only to discover the files were on Sakura. "You pulled her mission roster?"

"Everyone since she was a genin." Tsunade answers turning around from the window with a calmer demeanor. "This attack was personal. Whoever it was, she has crossed their path at one point during her career."

"And if that person is from the Leaf Village?"

"Then there will be no place for them to hide when I find who they are. I will personally deal with them." Her anger rising slightly. They had known which training ground she used. What team her apprentice was on. Where she lived and where she worked. If there was a rat inside these village walls, she would find them. That she was sure of.

* * *

"How do we undo the seal?" The masked man asked Sakura. His white mask slowly turning red as her blood splashed all over it.

"Fuck you" she spat, her voice horse. Her attacker gave her a few more seconds to expand on her answer but when none came, he sucker punches her cross the face. Blood spatters all around as her head rolls with the punch.

"Come on sweetheart this would go by so much faster if you just told us what we wanted to know." The blond said, leaning against the wall to the right of her. The other masked shinobi had disappeared about twenty minutes ago.

"Who else knows about your mission?" The masked man asks, never once changing the tone of his voice.

Sakura remained silent. They had already broken seven of her fingers. Her lip was busted open in several places and the blond one had craved the leaf symbol in her upper right thigh. But she wouldn't tell them a thing.

Another punch connected with her stomach and she didn't even try to fight the blood that formed in her mouth and dripped down her lips. The punisher wasn't even adding charka to the punches, but her body was already in so much pain it didn't matter. They continue to fill her full of drugs to keep her awake.

"I'll you something" she says barely lifting her head to look the masked man in the eye. "You hit like a man." She smirked; the insult clear as day. Sakura was used to taking punches from Tsunade, these men couldn't even compare on her worst day.

Before the men can respond the door open and the second mask man enters. The second mask man shuts the door with a loud bang, before making his way toward Sakura, a syringe in his hand. The other mask man nods and steps back making room. The syringe is shoved deep into her neck and pain explodes throughout her entire body instantly.

"You've just been injected with tarantula hawk wasp venom." He explained as he pulls the needle out of her neck. Her body already convulsing in pain. Her eyes roll back and her lungs struggle to take in oxygen. "While this won't kill you, the pain will be unbearable. The intense pain will only last about five minutes, but we have enough to keep going for hours."

"Every time you refuse to answer a question you will be injected. I wonder how many your body can take before it begins to shut down." The other mask man interjects.

"Won't it be interesting to find out," the blond laughed out.

Sakura was left helpless as she tried to ride out the pain. She would not break. Kakashi's face was all she could focus on in her mind. For him, she had to be strong.

* * *

He was close.

The seal on the back of his neck was on fire. The link between the two of them was flaring with her chakra. She was in pain. There was no other explanation to why the seal was acting like this.

At this speed he was maybe four, five hours top from her location.

He would make it in time.

She was his only hope of righting the wrongs that accrued so many years ago. Two faces flashed in his mind, and his foot hits the next tree at a greater force than was necessary. Sakura was crucial in saving his cousin. Crucial in keeping his brother protected.

If he had known when their paths crossed two years ago this would happen, he would have taken her then, regardless if he had been prepared or not. What she had offered him was a once in a lifetime gift. She had brought forth options he couldn't even imagine. She had made promises that were so out of reach, he didn't even dare thinking about them when dreaming.

Sakura was offering a second chance at life that he didn't deserve. She was offering protection and a chance at salvation, not only for him but for the rest of his family.

So, he ignored the burning sensation at the back of his neck. Ignored how her charka rose and fell at dangerous speeds.

He would get her back, and when he did all who dared to touch her would be killed.

* * *

"How much longer?" Naruto asked moving closer to Yamato. "Is there any way to tell how many more markers are left?" They had already discovered fifteen markers over the last twelve hours, with each one being more spread out from the last. The team had just finished an hour break and Naruto couldn't wait any longer. He wanted to find her now.

"There is no way to tell." Yamato shock his head. "The last couple have had significantly less charka in them when we first started."

"What does that mean?" Neji asked concerned. They were deep into rice country and they had found no other signs of her. There hadn't even been a single footprint to go off of. If she hadn't left the trail there would have been no way to find her.

"It means she is running out of charka." Genma answers, his eyes focused on the terrain in front of him. Panic was slowly starting to form within him. They had taken his partner over 72 hours ago, there is no telling what they could have done with her by now. It was clear to him the enemy had used some kind of transporting jutsu to jump between fire and rice. There could be no other explanation as to why they had found nothing in-between.

"If she runs out of charka will we still be able to track her?" Shikamaru asked, his eyes bouncing between Kakashi and Yamato.

"No" was Kakashi's only response. The older jounin was slowly losing hope. The charka loss was not a good sign. This jutsu required very little charka from the user. If the charka in the markers were reducing, Sakura was struggling badly.

"So then we do nothing?!" Sasuke snapped annoyed the hopelessness of the situation.

"No." Genma answered shaking his head. "I will not stop until I have recovered her body to bring back home."

Genma's words cut through the group like knives.

Sakura had the best charka control in the entire village. If she ran out, there would be nothing left. She would die of charka exhaustion.

* * *

The pain had finally stopped.

She had lost count of how many questions she had been asked.

Where was the file? Who had she told? How do you break the seal? What did she know? How had she found it? Who told her where to look? What did she plan to do with information? Did she really think she wouldn't be catch? Was the Hokage involved? Had she informed other villages?

Each question answered with silence, until another needle broke her skin and the sounds of her whimpers and harsh intake of breaths filled the air. These men were good, she would give them that but Ibiki was better, and she had spent the last fourteen months working side by side with him.

The masked men had left the makeshift cell ten minutes ago, but even in her drunken like state she could feel the increase of charka signatures in the complex. She couldn't make them out, other that there was four new people in the building. They had just a few moments to set her plan into action.

Her head was still hanging low, her weights still bared her full weight. "Now is yo-ur chance to r-un" her horse voice called out in broken whispers.

This catch the blond man's attention immediately. He pushed himself off the wall and quickly made his way to her. "I am not the one who should be running here." His hand went to the back of her neck, grabbing her hair and pulling her head back so she would look at him.

"They will kill you." She said a sadistic smile pulling at her lips.

"They will never find you" he threaten his hold tightening.

"You're a lose end." She explained locking eyes with him. "They won't let you leave here alive." Sakura paused sucking in a deep breath, trying to settle the pain and gather her chakra. "Your men are dead, no one will protect you."

Fear flickered across the man's eyes before his grip in her hair disappears. He takes a step back, his eyes flickering to the door. But it is to late, their old friends and three new ones enter through the door. Between one blink and the next one of the shinobi appear in front of him, a kunai shoved into his jugular vein. Its all over before Sakura can even process which one of them moved.

His body falls to the floor with a thud, were it laid discarded and forgotten as they turn their attention on her. The main masked man from before steps forward, another needle in his hand.

"Where is the file?" He asks in the same tone he has used the entire time.

"I will only answer to him." She snaps raising her head. "I know he is here."

"Very well." He answers and motions for one of the men behind him. She hears the door open and shut, then feels the needle pricked her skin one more time.

As the pain engulfs her once more, she doesn't try to fight it. She lets it run its course. They had given her five minutes of uninterrupted thinking if she could block out the pain and she wasn't going to waste it.

By the time the fifth minute was up the man she had been waiting for was in front of her. Bandage already gone, and as soon as she saw the red, she attacked….

* * *

Author's note: Hey guys, I know times are crazy right now but now more than ever its important that we ban together. Stay at home. Don't leave the house unless you absolutely have to. If you have an elderly neighbor offer to do their shopping so they don't have to go out. If you have older family members offer them the same. We are all in this together! 3


	15. Chapter 15

_He didn't know if it was the crowd restaurant, the liquid courage in his stomach, the fact they had finally convinced her to go out or the fact Naruto was due back any day, but Shikamaru couldn't help but sit there and stare at Sakura. She had changed so much these last three and a half years and he couldn't be prouder. No one would have thought she would have come as far as she had. Abandoned by her teammates, she went out and surrounded herself with teachers and friends who were all too willing to piece back together the broken hearted genin._

 _People had joked that his second team was definitely a unique mixture. The heir to the Nara clan, the Hyuga prodigy and the Hokage's apprentice were starting to make a real name for themselves all across fire. They were quickly becoming the number one most requested team due to their success rate and versatility. Though Shikamaru wonder what would happen when Naruto returned. Would she return to team seven and completely forget about them, forget about him? Or would she try to find some type of balance between the hospital, team seven, Genma and them?_

 _Shikamaru really did wonder how she did it all. She made it look so effortless. She made almost everything she did look so effortless. Even now as she sat next to him, playing with the straw in her sweet tea, he wonder how long it took her to get ready before she came here. Ino had ambushed her as Sakura walked out of the hospital after a twelve-hour shift and had made it to the restaurant within an hour. Yet there was no mistaking Sakura's freshly washed hair and fresh makeup. A simple pair of jeans, black long sleeve and kunoichi sandals completed her transformation from doctor to newly promoted jounin Sakura._

" _Come on forehead there has to be someone you have your eye on?" Ino whined as she removed her bbq meat from the grill. Sakura just giggled and shock her head. Choji looked up briefly from his food before nudging Shikamaru's foot under the table. For some reason Choji had gotten the idea that he had a crush on her ever since their time at the waterfall and no matter how many times Shikamaru told him he didn't, Choji just wouldn't listen._

" _Between training, the hospital and missions it's not like I have much time for anything else." Sakura reasoned, but her best friend wasn't having it._

" _Please tell it's not because you are still waiting for Sasuke to come back?" Ino questioned, but immediately wished she could take it back when Sakura's smile disappeared._

" _Ino" Shikamaru warned._

" _It's not that Ino." Sakura said waving her hand in the air. "It's just for so long my focus was on Sasuke. We both grew out our hair because a stupid rumor said he only liked girls with long hair. I was more forced on my looks than my skills. I thought muscles were to manly and being sweaty and dirty was gross. Everything I did back then was to get his attention. I treated Naruto like shit because that was what Sasuke did. I let our friendship get ruined for what? Some boy who in the end I didn't even really know."_

" _Sakura I-"_

" _It's okay Ino." Sakura said reaching across the table and catching one of Ino's hands in hers. "It's just, these last few years I've had time to focus on just me, you know. For the first time in forever, I trained not because I wanted to impress someone but because I wanted to be able to protect them. I'm finally doing things just for me, and it feels so good. I don't want that to change."_

" _I just worry that your lonelier than you let on sometimes." Ino said squeezing her friend's hand. With her parents gone, Ino worried that Sakura spent too much time alone. Her best friend had perfected that fake smile of her's years ago, so much so that Ino worried she was no longer immune to it._

" _I appreciate your concern Ino, really I do. It's just I don't think most guys will understand my lack of time. They are going to want me to pick and they won't be happy when its not them. Besides with Naruto coming back I am sure its about to get even crazier. I know he has been training so we can go after Sasuke."_

" _Is that something you even want?" Shikamaru asked surprised she was openly talking about this. When they had tried to get her to first talk about Sasuke after Naruto left, she absolutely refused to. It was common knowledge among the group that his name was not to be spoken in front of her._

" _It's okay if you don't." Choji chimed in. "You already have other responsibilities and duties; I am sure Naruto would understand."_

" _I couldn't do that. The minute I made him promise to bring Sasuke back, I put this all on him. I can't let him deal with this alone. Sasuke was a member of Team Seven, so its only fair Team Seven deals with him." She said letting go of Ino's hand and taking a long sip of her tea._

" _Just don't lose what you have worked for." Shikamaru said turning to look at her fully. "Don't let Naruto or Kakashi come in and make you stand behind them."_

 _Sakura's checks turned pink before she nodded. "I promise."_

" _Not to change the subject, but how do you suppose we get mister white eyes to finally notice our favorite weapons mistress." Ino giggled and just like that they fell back into playful banter._

 _After the meal was over Choji offered to walk Ino home and was already pulling her away from the restaurant before she could even say goodbye. Leaving Sakura and Shikamaru alone. He quickly offered to walk her home, making some excuse his mother wanted him to get something from one of the stores by her apartment complex._

 _They walked in comfortable silence for a few minutes. Both just content to be in one another's company. They had spent a lot of time together over the last couple years. He was going to miss this. He was selfish enough to admit he wasn't excited about Naruto coming home as everyone else was. The loudmouth blonde was going to come running into the village and act like nothing had happened. Like he hadn't left his female teammate behind when everything fell apart. Like he hadn't lost contact with her all these years, he hadn't even bothered to send her one damn letter. Naruto was going to come in and try to take Sakura all to himself, and apart of Shikamaru was very bitter about it._

 _Shikamaru had been the one to take the long-term mission out of the village with her after her parents had died. It had been his team that helped her redo her parent's condo so she could sell it. It was Neji and him that helped her move into her new apartment. It was Team 10 and Team Guy who Sakura celebrated her Chunin promotion with. She had been his first kiss on one of their partner missions together. He was the one who waited with her in the hospital three months ago when she came back half dead, with over half her team dead. Shikamaru had been the one who held her when she woke up and cried._

 _Naruto was going to take her away from them, from him. After everything that happened Naruto didn't deserve Sakura. Bottom line. He had left her. They had all left in some sort of way. None of them made sure she had any type of support, or guidance, or fucking teacher to help her progress._

" _Shika say what you want to say before you get yourself so worked up your face gets stuck like that." Sakura voice quickly calmed the anger that was building within him._

" _How do you really feel about Naruto coming back and Team Seven being reformed?"_

 _She took several long moments to form her answer, and Shikamaru could read several different conflicting emotions that flashed through her eyes. "I promise Team Seven will not get in the way of the special bond I have formed with you and Neji. We will still go out on missions; we will still be a team."_

" _But?"_

" _Something big is coming." Sakura said closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "There are rumors being spread that the Akatsuki have increased their activity. Several more jinchuuriki have gone missing. It won't be long before they focus on Naruto again."_

" _So you just plan to take this organization head on to protect him?" He asked his anger flaring slightly._

" _Calm down Shika, I'm not stupid. You and I are paper ninja, I'm not going to run into a fight unprepared without a plan. But Naruto cannot be left without a team, he needs people there to look after him."_

" _And what about you? Who looks after you?" He questioned. He didn't want this conversation to stop but he could see her apartment up ahead, and he knew Sakura. Once she went inside, she wouldn't bring this up again._

" _I have you." She turned and smiled at him, and his stomach filled with butterflies. "You'll be my shadow and pull me in if I go to far into the dark."_

" _Sakura-" But its was to late they were in front of her apartment._

" _Night Shika" Sakura said wrapping her arms around him. "Thank you." Those two words so loaded it was hard to tell what she was thanking him for. As she disappeared up the stairs somewhere deep down he knew once Naruto stepped through the village gates, things would change. Though he left a little better with the knowledge Sakura wouldn't leave her second team, they had made their bond through blood, sweat and tears and those bonds weren't easily broken._

 _No matter how troublesome it would be, he would never just let Sakura walk away from him._

* * *

After four days of traveling the trail Sakura left stopped, but she had done it. She had gotten them close enough where they were able to pick it up from there. The moment Pakkun sensed her they were bolting, pushing as much extra charka into their legs as they could as they fought to close the gap between them and their precious friend.

A mixture of hope and fear made up the rescue squad. No one had dared talked since Pakkun had taken off running. They were almost at the top of the mountain when Bull started whining and Kakashi catch the scent of fire. Within minutes the group had reached the top of the mountain, but the sight that laid before them was not one of hope.

"No" Naruto whispered as he felt the panic begin to build. Maye five miles out there was a massive cloud of black smoke coming from somewhere in-between the trees.

"Boss her scent…its to spread out. I can't make out exactly where she is." Pakkun confessed his eyes locked firmly on his master.

"What do you mean to widely spread?!" Sasuke snapped. What fucking good were the dogs if they couldn't even track probably.

"Either the enemy has spread items with her scent all around to throw us off." Kakashi started to explain.

"Or her blood" Sai finished Kakashi's unspoken words.

"Regardless, we need to keep a level head." Radio reasoned. "Protect your medics in every team, when we get to Sakura, she is going to need us."

Kakashi could feel it in the air, something was wrong. There was a fire burning but he couldn't feel any charka signatures. If the enemy had set fire to cover their tracks, it wouldn't make sense why they were able to pick up on her scent. A gut feeling told him he knew which trail lead to her. That area was saturated with her scent, and his stomach twisted as to why. "We will take the southeast. Team two I want you to follow Biscuit, Akino and Uhei. We need you to search the south. Team 3 go and check out was is causing the fire. Shia and Urushi go with them. Pakkun, Bull, you're with me. Everyone stay alert."

* * *

No one had to be told twice. Their friend was out there. One way or another they were going to get her back.

The room was dark and cold, but she didn't care. It seemed hard to care about such frivolous matters when she felt like everything around her was falling apart.

Her villagers were scared. Her shinobi were waiting for answers. Her daughter still gone.

Tsunade had hoped Sakura's office would help guide her in the right direction. But things were so torn apart. She had started in one corner of her office, looking at files, rereading Sakura's small notes, just hoping something would catch her eye. Tsunade had helped mold Sakura. She had personally trained the pink hair kunoichi. Sakura was smart, to smart for her own good most the time. Tsunade just knew Sakura had written something down just in case.

As she worked through the room, it was easy to tell whoever had searched it, had become angry. Maybe they hadn't found what they were looking for. It look Tsunade an hour before she had worked to Sakura's desk and at first glance nothing stood out. Her pictures she kept on her desk either laid broken on desk or scattered somewhere around the room. It bugged Tsunade.

Maybe she just wanted to see Sakura with her own two eyes so badly, she was willing to settle looking at photos to bring some kind of comfort. So Tsunade spent the next ten minutes finding all the pictures that would have been hung behind the desk or on it. Sakura had always had seven pictures in her office. Team Seven had been what started her shinobi career, if it hadn't been for Team Seven Sakura always claimed she never would have come as far as she did. For that reason, seven became Sakura's lucky number, and when fighting with death, it always helped to have a little luck on your side.

One by one Tsunade found them. Sakura's genin team photo. The last photo ever taken with her parents. Her and Genma covered in glitter and glue from helping the children in the hospital make Mother's Day cards. Shikamaru, Neji and Sakura watching the clouds somewhere inside the village. The newest photo of Team Seven which included Yamato and Sai. The photo of Sakura and Ino hugging in front of the new children's hospital.

But when Tsunade found the last photo it was different. The last time she had been in Sakura's office it made been of the two of them. Shizune had taken it. Master and apprentice, their back to the camera as they stood on top of the roof of the Hokage building overlooking the village. Though Tsunade's head was turned slightly and it was clear she had been looking at Sakura. It was one of Tsunade's favorite pictures, though she had never admitted it.

Now the last photo was of Sakura on her hands and knees bowing before Tsunade as she was awarded the status of jounin. But why had Sakura changed it? The promotion had been over a year. If Sakura was going to change the photos, it would have been then.

Tsunade took the photo out of the frame, checking to see if there was any hidden justus somewhere, but found none. The photo didn't look altered, it looked the same as she remembered it. But when she turned the photo around, clear as day there was Sakura's clean written notes.

" **When you don't know who to trust, trust no one." -Monkey King**

Tsunade could feel her heartrate soar as she reread those words for a fourth time. Sakura had managed to leave a clue specially for her to find. But why? And who was monkey king?

* * *

Team one followed Pakkun and Bull anxiously. They had already seen scattered paper bombs and kunais. Patches of blood could be seen here and there but so far none of them had belonged to Sakura. Each member had already drawn weapons waiting for the enemy to jump through the trees.

They had separated slightly from each other. Just enough where everyone could still be seen, but enough were they could cover more ground with a more careful eye. Shikamaru felt like he was walking on eggshells. One wrong move and it would all be over. He had never faced against an enemy he had no way of detecting. How had Sakura remained so calm when she took them on inside the village?

"Look" Shizune calls out. Shikamaru turns, making out a body several yards ahead. Genma reaches it first, kicking the body onto its back. His body was covered in cuts and blood, but there is no mistaking the clean-cut line that runs from his lung through his spleen before finishing in his stomach. That kind of cut could only be from a medical scalpel.

"Is there any way to tell how long he has been dead?" Genma asks his eyes hard. Somehow his partner had broken free. But how many people did she have to fight off when she did?

Shizune kneels next to the body, her hands hovering above his heart. "He's cold. While this amount of blood loss would have caused the body to cool more quickly my guess is, he has been dead for over twelve hours." She stands, her body tense.

"No headband. No visible recognizable features that could link them to a certain village or group. We are still no closer to finding out who is behind this." Shikamaru notes.

"Pakkun can you smell her any place nearby?" Kakashi asks turning his full attention to the pug.

But he is meet with a shake of his head. "There are to many scents mixed in the air to pinpoint her location. But the scent doesn't expand over a mile or so. If she is here, we will find her."

"Lead the way."

* * *

"Finally." Naruto takes a deep breath, the fire finally out. It hadn't been hard to follow the smoke. There was a house in the middle of nowhere. The firer had burned pretty much the whole building to the ground. The dogs had been ordered to search the area while the dealt with the burning complex.

It took Yamato creating three water dragons before the flames were finally out. At fist glance it looked as if nothing was there. Only ash and rumble. But Sasuke quickly called upon his blood limit and said something was off. So, Yamato, Naruto, Sasuke and Ino started to swift though the rumble, being mindful there could be traps lying in wait.

After twenty minutes of searching Yamato was about to call it off, in favor of searching the surrounding area, when Sasuke found it. An uneven spot had caught his eye. After moving part of the roof he found an access point. He quickly pulled it open only to find a set of stairs that led into a hallway. Naruto went to rush in when Yamato stopped him.

"Keep a level head. Create a clone, send it in first. Only after it has scout will we go in." He order. Naruto nodded his head in understanding, creating several clones that quickly climbed down the stairs. His level head lasted all of three minutes before he was pushing past Yamato and jumping into the opening.

"Naruto!" Ino called out, but the blonde was already gone.

"Damn it!" Yamato cursed as he followed in after him. He estimated the stairs were maybe two stories in height. His feet hit the ground and he is running. There was no way to know what Naruto saw but he felt the nine-tails charka grow stronger and stronger. Whatever Naruto found had not been good.

The hallway was barely visible with small lights every couple yards. There were several metal doors placed on either side of the hallway. The deeper they made their way into the hallway the moor rooms Sasuke counted. He had made it to twelve before they found the room Naruto had ran into. He entered and felt his stomach turn.3

The first thing that Sasuke registers is the smell of blood, then the body of the man Sakura had fought against in the village. A pool of blood had formed around him, and irritation rose in Sasuke. He had wanted to be the one to kill him. Quickly dismissing the body, he turned to take in the rest of the room. On the far-right side there was broken glass and blood that seem to mix together. Blood drops could be seen on the ceiling and surrounding wall. His eyes then moved to the chains that hung in the center of the room. The cuffs covered in blood. He could see several pink strands of hair on the ground. Several more patches of her blood all over the floor along with several discard syringes. Then there was Naruto just standing there, his back to them, with something in his hands.

Pure rage overtook him. His hands shock uncontrollably at his sides, his hands clenching and unclenching, as he tried to regain his composure. Sakura had been tortured. From what he could tell in this room, she had bleed and been in pain for hours. He wanted to scream. He wanted to punch something. But most importantly he wanted to find her. Why wasn't Naruto saying anything?

"Naruto?" Ino called softly as she walked closer to him. But he stood still as a statue, unmoving. It wasn't until Ino walked in front of him and gasped that he seemed to snap out of it. "Is that-" she stopped unable to finish her question. Silent tears began spilling from her eyes as she just stood there and stared at Naruto's hands.

"Naruto what is it?" Yamato asked still standing in the doorway. While his stomached twisted painfully at the site in front of him, someone had to keep watch. None of his other teammates were thinking clearly. He highly doubt Naruto's clones searched this underground hideout. There could still be enemy ninja lying in wait just waiting for the right time to attack.

He turns quickly, his tears flying into the air as he did so. His blue eyes replaced with heartbroken red ones. The other two males suck in a breath as their minds jump to the same thing. In Naruto's right hand was her white dress and in his left the jewelry they had bought her…

* * *

"Shino is your beetle picking up her scent at all?" Neji asked as they made their way deeper into the forest. He was starting to develop a headache from keeping his kekkei genkai activated for too long, but he ignored it. He would keep pushing himself until they found her.

"No. There is something in the air that is affecting it. I'm sure it is the same reason why Kakashi's dogs cannot track her either." He explained, his beetle flying in circles around him.

"Someone is trying to cover their tracks." Radio said, trying so desperately to hold onto that little bit of hope in his chest. He could see how this was completely killing Genma and Shizune. Both of them had taken Sakura under their wing when she was younger. They both looked at her like a younger sister. Radio could still see Sakura clear as day in his mind the day she came out of the brushes crying saying her team needed help. Genma had refused to put her down the entire way home. From then on Genma had slowly brought Sakura into their small group, until one day everyone loved her and had become overly protective of her. If this was the pain he was feeling, he couldn't even imagine what Genma and Shizune were going through.

Sai had stopped walking, in order to pull out his scroll and ink brush. He quickly drew several sets of mice before pumping charka into the paper. They jumped off the scroll and quickly disappeared into the trees around them. Once he was done, he quickly regrouped with the others. The dogs had stayed alert, his noses alternating from the ground to the air looking for any scent.

"Team one found a body" Shikamaru's voice boomed over the radio. When the line remained silent it was clear they hadn't found her. "No identifiable markers, dead approximately five hours."

"Copy" Radio answered, then the line went dead again.

Team two continued to make their way into the forest, their eyes and senses open and alert. Just because the body had been dead several hours didn't mean back up hadn't arrived. Radio was just about to jump into the trees to get a better view when the dogs started sprinting.

Biscuit, Akino and Uhei dashed through the trees not waiting to make sure the humans were following them. They had finally caught her scent. Biscuit turned his head yelling "we smell her." Sakura was their boss's mate, and they would give it everything they had to get her back.

Akino reached the small spot first. The once full forest had been turned into a small clearing. At least fifteen trees had been knocked down, several more had been burnt. Weapons and blood were scattered throughout it. A small whimper escape the dog when he noticed a large amount of her blood was mixed among it.

The boys came crashing into the clearing thirty seconds later, their weapons drawn. Neji immediately notices a body laying in-between two of the fallen trees. A kunai buried deep into his neck. "Spread out" Radio orders. They scatter.

Neji follows after Biscuit who seemed to be following some kind of trail. It was hard to tell what had happened. "How much of this is hers?" Neji asked as Biscuit stops in front of a bush.

The dog just ignores him, to forced on his task. He slips his small body underneath the bush, pushing his body forward until he finds the objects. Very softly he is biting into the fabric and backing up. Neji's eyes widen in surprise as the dog deposits the item in front of him. "An alarming amount of the blood here is hers. There are several others though to."

Neji just nodes as he picks up the blood-stained bra. "Do you still smell her scent past this area?" The small dog just shakes his head no. Rage fills Neji as he stares at the item of clothing in his hands. If this had been discarded in battle, he burned to think the kind of torture that would have left her in this state of undress. Sakura had always been so private when it came to her body.

"Neji" Sai tight voice calls from behind him. Neji nodes his head showing he was listening, his eyes still focused on the amount of blood the fabric had absorbed. "We found two more bodies. One with their head cut clean off. It seems Ugly was able to break free and fight. I see no signs of her super strength, but the three bodies all show signs of her other skills."

She killed three of them. How many more had she had to fight alone?

* * *

"Team 3 has found the enemy's hideout." Yamato informed his voice laced with emotion. "One body was found a mile out."

"What did you find inside the hideout?" Kakashi asked his voice hard.

"We found the room she was tortured in. Her dress and jewelry were left behind. From what was left in the room, Sakura is badly hurt. Shizune there was also syringes all over the place. The dogs can't tell what was in them."

"Team 2 has found three more bodies. This area was completely destroyed. One of the dogs found another article of her clothing. She lost a lot of blood in this area." Radio voice was like knives in Kakashi's ears.

"Team one found a body as well. Pakkun still smells her scent in the area." Kakashi spoke, trying his best to keep his tone even. He was the leader of this mission. It wasn't over yet. Shizune was one of the best medics the village had to offer, if they got to Sakura in time, she could keep her stable until they were back in the village. "Regroup at my location, the dogs will lead you."

Kakashi was starting to find it extremely hard to breathe.

"Good fucking damn it!" Genma exploded before turning to the nearest tree and punching it as hard as he could. The bark splintered and cracked as he shoved his hand through it. "Where the fuck is she?!"

"Genma" Shizune called softly as she went to his side.

"Boss" Pakkun called softly, waiting until his master's eyes locked with his. "Her scent is still in this area." He tried to encourage. Hope was not lost yet. "She could still be here."

"Lead the way." Kakashi said already moving forward. He had to keep moving forward, if he stopped now he would break.

The group traveled another three miles before the trees began to thin out until they eventually lead them to a field that was covered in wildflowers. The grass was tall and came maybe to their knees. The small pug easily disappeared among the grass and flowers.

Kakashi didn't even have to give the order to start their search. Each member of the group picked a direction and started looking. The field was maybe four, five miles long. The grass making it more of a challenge than anything else. Kakashi just blindly followed Bull. The mastiff kept going straight, the grass slowly changing to more and more flowers. Red, blue, yellow, purple and orange were quickly surrounding them. His eyes just looking for a touch of pink anywhere among them. They walked for several minutes before Bull just stopped dead in his tracks. The dog had stopped so suddenly that Kakashi almost tripped over him. Then Bull started to whine.

That's when Kakashi saw it.

Pink could be seen several yards ahead in-between the flowers and grass. His body moves before he can process what he is seeing. He had finally found her. He closes the distance between them in a matter of seconds. "SHIZUNE!" Kakashi screams, his knees hitting the ground hard as he comes to her side. Full blown panic started to take over as he takes in the state, she was in.

Her eyes were closed. Blood and dirt covered her half naked body. Her lip busted and bruised. Her bare chest covered in cuts and bruises. A shallow cut along her neck. A burn covered majority of her left arm. Her anbu symbol carved out on her right shoulder. A leaf symbol craved into her thigh. Several fingers broken, severe bruising around her wrists. Her right knee dislocated. Countless other injuries all over her body. Blood had spread out and stain the ground red. All of this he gathers in a second.

Then he realized she wasn't breathing.

His hands immediately went to her chest as he started the compressions. _Please don't let me be to late._ His masked lips meet hers as he blows in a breath. He starts his compressions again trying to ignore how cold she felt on his lips. With each compression he felt a piece of his heart break. He blows in another breathe, seeing Shizune join across from him. Her hands already glowing as they hovered above Sakura's heart. _Come on Sakura!_

"No" the word escapes Genma as he finally reaches them. His knees give out on him as he drops next to Shizune. Her hands glowed a bright green as she moved them up and down Sakura's body. But one look at the tears following down her face and he knows…

Kakashi hit another thirty before he is bending and blowing another breathe into her. "Come on Sakura!" He yells, hoping she could still hear. "You need to fight! You can't do this to me! Come on!" Their lips lock again, but nothing. "Please Sakura." He begs.

Shikamaru was frozen in place. He was useless in this situation. He knew nothing about medical jutsu. All he could do was stand there and watch terrified as Shizune pumped chakra into his beloved teammate.

"Shizune pull back" Kakashi shouts, his hand filling with electricity. As soon as her hands left Sakura, he pushes the electricity directly into her chest, trying to restart her heart. Sakura doesn't respond. Kakashi did it again, this time stronger, but still nothing. "No, no, no," he starts to repeat over and over again as he begins his compressions again. "You cannot do this Sakura! You cannot die on me! I love you! Please!"

Shizune's hands stop glowing and she pulls her hands back. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tries to fight the sobs that so desperately want to rip through her. Tears flow like rivers down her face. She barely makes out the words "she's gone."

Kakashi freezes. His sharingan spins uncontrollably. He could pick up no detectable life from her. His whole world crumbles as he leans forward, cupping her face with his hand. A tear bounces off her check as he begins to break down. Her skin felt so cold. He pulls her into him. His eyes widening in horror as he sees the state of her back. Her once smooth skin now nothing but gashes and welts. His arms wrap around her, holding her, as he sat there and cried. He had been to late again. Another precious person he had sworn to protect, gone. When would he learn he ruined everything he touched? The tears just continued to pour as he held onto the women he loved.

Genma couldn't do it, he had to look away. Seeing her so broken left him unable to breath. So, he held on tightly to Shizune as she balled into his vest. His own tears hidden as he buries his face into her shoulder.

Shikamaru makes it six steps away from her before he is on his knees vomiting. He couldn't take it. She had died alone. After all the pain she had endured, after she had fought like hell to escape, she died alone because they hadn't made it to her in time. Pakkun brushes against him as he started to hyperventilate.

* * *

The moment they made it to the clearing Neji knew. It felt like the wind had been knocked out of him as he looked at Kakashi holding her. The pain written on Kakashi's face said it all. Then there was Shikamaru several feet away on his hands and knees. Genma and Shizune were no better, clutching onto each other for dear life. Neji felt the men besides him stiffen as they made the same connection.

"Sakura-chan" Sai calls out and goes to move toward her when team three came walking up behind them. Sai instantly turns his attention to Naruto.

"They found her!" Naruto yells his eyes locking onto the girl in his sensei's arms, completely ignoring everything else. He starts to run toward her when Sai appears in front of him, grabbing his shoulders stopping him. "What the hell Sai? Move I want to see her." He tries to shove Sai off, but he just held tighter.

"Naruto" Sai calls his name trying to get him to understand. "Sakura's gone."

Before Naruto can even react Ino is bolting toward her best friend. Sai wants to stop her; she shouldn't see Sakura like that, but he couldn't let go of Naruto.

Luckily, she didn't make it to far before Shikamaru is in front of her trapping her in a hug. "No Ino." He says, his voice barely above a whisper. Tears still running down his face.

"Let me go Shikamaru!" Ino screams as she begins to struggle in his arms. "She needs help! I have to get to her she needs medical attention!" Shikamaru just held her tighter. "Sakura!"

"I won't tell you see her like this." He says beginning to turn them around, so Ino was facing toward team two and three. "There is nothing you can do."

"No! You're lying!" Naruto shouts. "Sai fucking let me go!" The nine tails charka already bubbling to the surface. "She can't be dead!" He cries. "She can't be!" Naruto moves to shove Sai off, but Yamato appears behind him, slapping the seal Jiraiya had given him onto Naruto's back. Instantly the nine tail's charka disappears.

"I'm sorry" was all Sai could say as he helps Naruto lower to his knees. When he feels Naruto was no longer going to run, he lets go. Naruto breaks down into hysterics. He lowered his head to the ground, his body shaking with sobs. Sai could do nothing but sit there, his hand on Naruto's back, as a reminder he was not alone. That night he had shown up alone at Sakura's apartment she had made him promise to look after Naruto when she was no longer on the team. How foolish of him to think she meant when she resigned. She had known this was going to be the outcome all along, hadn't she?

Blood poured out both of his eyes like tears. He didn't know how to handle the emotions that were ripping through him. His sharingan picking up all the small details about Sakura as Kakashi had. Sasuke could do nothing as he stood here watching Kakashi hold Sakura in his arms crying. His whole body went numb, never realizing he had activated his Mangekyo Sharingan. Not that it would matter, Sakura Haruno was dead, and his world would never be alright again.


	16. Chapter 16

_Mixed feeling raged within him as he continued to put one foot in front of the other. Self-doubt shouting in the back of his mind if he was truly making the right decision tonight. Naruto was getting stronger every day, yet Sasuke felt like he was at a stalemate. Maybe the village would make him strong enough one day, strong enough to take on Itachi, but Sasuke felt as if he was running out of time. He didn't have years to waste. He needed to get stronger now._

 _To be able to avenge his family._

 _These bonds were just holding him back. His teammates made him weak because they made him care about stupid frivolous things. How many hours had he wasted trying to see what their sensei's face looked like? Why hadn't he spent those hours training? Why did he have to be paired with the loudest big mouth possible who didn't understand what needed to be done? How had Naruto been able to progress so quickly? It seemed as if his strength had doubled over night._

 _Then there was Sakura._

 _Why had she stood between him and Gaara? She could have been killed. She would have been killed if it hadn't been for Naruto. He had been to weak to protect. It was Naruto that saved her from the water on their last mission. Naruto already had her on his back and was running to the shore by the time Sasuke was able to surface. Sakura couldn't rely on him to protect her. Sasuke knew he wasn't strong enough to protect her, not yet._

 _These people were causing to much noise. They were distracting him form what was important. He needed to focus on the matter at hand. Orochimaru promised to give him strength. To give her clarity and guidance to complete his goal. If the village couldn't stop the snake sasin then surely, he was stronger than anyone within the village. If anyone could help defeat Itachi it would be that man, he just had to make it out of the village first._

 _Sasuke was almost to the outer gate when he felt her charka signature. For a moment he contemplated going a different direction but knew she would follow him. He didn't want to raise suspicion. So instead of running away he continued down the street, his speed remaining the same even space as before._

 _When she stepped out from the tree line, she didn't speak a single word. Her eyes just grew wide as she stared at the backpack he was carrying. Sasuke felt a wave of frustration grow within him. Of course, he wouldn't be able to leave in peace, one of his teammates once again making things more difficult than they needed to be, simply because they didn't understand._

" _It's the middle of the night, what are you hanging around here for?"_

" _This is the only road out of the village" she answered barely above a whisper. Only a few feet separated the two teammates as they stared at one another._

" _You should go to bed." He stated evenly as he began to walk around her, hoping she would leave it at that._

" _Why Sasuke?" She asked once he made it a couple yards. He didn't need to turn around to know there were tears now running down her face. A small part of him twisted and it only grew the self-doubt. "Why won't you ever tell me anything?" She called to him as he continued to walk away. "Why is it always silence with you? You've never shared a single thing-"_

" _Why should I have to tell you anything?" He yelled coming to a stop. "Just keep your nose out of my business. It's none of your concern." He warned._

" _I know you hate me. Even in the beginning you could never stand me. Remember back when we made genin and we were assigned to our three-man squads. We were alone together for the very first time, right here on this very spot. You got so mad at me that day."_

" _I don't remember." Sasuke could hear her tears hitting the pavement._

" _Yeah, sure it was so long ago right" she tried to recover even through her tears. "But still that's the day where it all began, the start of you and me. And Naruto and Kakashi-sensei. All of us started going on missions. It was rough back then, everyday was such a challenge. More than anything it was so much fun. I know about your clan Sasuke. I do. But seeking revenge that won't bring anyone happiness, nobody at all. Not you. And not me."_

" _I need it. I'm not the same as you. I'm traveling a path the rest of you can't follow. I know that the four of us have worked together and for a while I thought I could take that road instead. But, in the end I've decided on revenge. That's always been my reason for living. I'll never be like you and Naruto."_

" _Don't do this Sasuke!" She shouted, pleading. "You don't have to be alone. You told me that day how painful solitude can be. I understand that pain now. I have family and friends but if you were gone Sasuke it would be the same thing for me as being all alone" she choked out in-between sobs._

" _This is a new beginning, each of us has a new path lined before us." He heard her take a step forward._

" _Sasuke I'm so in love with you I can't even stand it! If you would only be with me, I promise I'll never let you regret it. Everyday will be a joy. I can give you happiness. I'll do anything for you Sasuke. So please I'm begging you don't look away! I'll even help get your revenge. I'll do whatever it takes to make it happen I swear! Stay here with me. And if you can't take me with you!" The tears rolled down her face, the moonlight reflecting in the streaks it left on her face._

 _Sasuke finally turns and looks at her, a small smile on his face. "You haven't changed. You're still annoying." Her eyes widen at the use of that name but he simple turns to walk away._

" _Don't leave me!" She screams beginning to run after him. "If you go, I will scream and-" She stops talking, Sasuke disappearing from in front of her only to reappear behind her. His body so close to hers she can feel his warmth._

" _Sakura thank you for everything." Are his finally words before hitting her on the back of the neck. He catches, picking her up and holding her tightly against his chest._

 _There is a tiny part of him still screaming at him to stay. To give the girl in his arms a chance to make all those promises she just made a possibility. To stay and have a life his mother would have wanted him to have. To be in the village where he wouldn't have to face these problems alone. Sakura had already proven she was willing to risk her life to protect his. Kakashi had given warnings that the road he was about to take wouldn't give him the happiness he thought he wanted._

 _But as her tears soaked into his shirt he began to question if he was strong enough to protect her. What would happen if Itachi or Orochimaru went after her in order to get to him? She had no chance at fighting against them. Could he live with himself if she was killed because of him?_

 _No. No he couldn't._

 _With his resolve finally set he hugged her close against his body once more before laying her gently across the bench. His lips gently presses against hers, as his last selfish act as a leaf shinobi. He wanted to know what the girl who promised him her heart felt like, at least once._

* * *

Time seemed to standstill. He couldn't tell how much time had passed. Couldn't tell who had joined the clearing or if there was any danger near. His body just continued to grow numb the longer he sat there clenching onto her, unwilling to let her go. The tears continued to flow down his checks, soaking his mask. The imagine of her imprinting in his mind. Her bloody and broken body just made his heart shatter into a million unfixable pieces.

He had been too late.

He had let another precious person die because he hadn't been strong enough to stop it.

How…how could he return to the village and walk through those gates? Kakashi had grown to associate Sakura with home. Her smile, laugh, smell, all of it screamed of home. But there was no smile on her lips. Her laugh forever silenced. The signature cherry blossom perfume she always wore now replaced with the smell of blood, sweat and dirt.

Inside Kakashi was paralyzed. Unable to move. Unable to think. Unable to do anything but sit there and feel his whole world come crashing down around him.

The others in the clearing weren't fairing much better. Ino was still in Shikamaru's arms sobbing, calling out to her friend, though she had stopped trying to break out of his hold. Shikamaru's own tears hadn't dried but Ino grounded him. Ino gave him a purpose to hold on a little longer. He knew she wouldn't be able to cope with seeing the state Sakura was in. Genma and Shizune were now standing next to Kakashi. Shizune was trying desperately to wipe Sakura's blood of her hands onto her pants. Genma just kept staring at her body. His eyes unfocused with tear streaks cascading down his face.

Naruto hadn't been able to look up. His forehead remind on the ground. His tears falling and mixing with the grass beneath him. Sai remained at Naruto's side. His hand rubbing circles up and down his back. Sai had been surprised when he began feeling wetness on his own face. Yamato focus was locked on Kakashi, his heart breaking not only for the loss of Sakura but for what his senpai was having to go through. Radio and Shino were silent as they watched those around them.

Neji was the first to move. Through his first steps hadn't been toward Sakura. Sasuke remained unmoving, even as Neji stood in front of him, a bandage in his hand. "Your eyes are bleeding" he stated as he reached toward Sasuke's face. Sasuke didn't even blink as Neji gently wiped away the blood. To stunned by the action and the whole situation to comment. "If you do not shut off your blood limit you are going to damage your eyes."

"It doesn't matter." Sasuke bite out. His eyes leaving Neji and refocusing on Sakura.

Neji stationed himself more firmly in front of Sasuke, cutting off his view of Sakura. "Turn them off. She wouldn't want you hurt." Neji said as he moved to the other eye. Even with Sakura's long and complicated history with Sasuke, Neji knew she still cared for him. She wouldn't want this. She wouldn't want him damaging himself or exposing a secret she had worked to protect. Neji would deal with his emotions later. But he had promised to keep an eye on her team. "Take a breath. Naruto is going to need you."

The sound of his other teammate's name had Sasuke closing his eyes. Sasuke knew something had changed about his sharingan. Even with his eyes closed they still stung, and a new wave of blood threaten to spill.

Neji moving to Sasuke had broken Radio out of his shock. He quickly pulled a scroll from his backpack and bit his thumb, producing a black traveling cloak. Radio hesitated only few seconds before he began walking toward Kakashi. The cloak gripped tightly in his hands as he fought his own tears from falling. He felt his stomach twist painfully as he got a closer look at her back. How could someone do something so horrible to someone like her?

Radio kneeled in front of Kakashi and Sakura but when he reached for her, Kakashi jerked backwards with Sakura still in his arms. "Do not touch her" he growled his mismatched eyes locking onto Radio.

Everyone in the clearing held their breath as his killing intent filled the area. Radio didn't move. He had never seen his friend like this before. He didn't know what Kakashi would do. Radio looked up at Genma looking for guidance on what to do. Genma looked at the material in Radio's hands and knew what he had been trying to do.

They needed to leave this area. Quickly.

There was no telling what enemy could be lying in wait, or if the enemy had headed back to the village for another attack. They had no way of knowing if Sakura had spilled any secrets or if they had gained any information on their own.

Either way it didn't matter. She was gone. Staying in the field surrounded by flowers was not going to change that. So Genma motioned for Radio to hand him the cloak. Once Genma had the soft material in his hands he turned to Shizune. "Take the rest of the group back to the start of the trees. Have Sai send a messenger bird to Tsunade explaining the situation and the coordinates of the other bodies and the house." Genma spoke emotionless. Already disassociating what was happening, what he was feeling. Because it was so much easier to pretend that this was just another faceless leaf jounin. So much easier to pretend it had been some stranger they hadn't rescued. Because if he didn't, he was going to truly lose it.

"Genma-" Shizune started, not wanting to leave her. Not wanting to leave the man she loved to bare all the pain alone.

"See if Sai could create enough birds so we can fly home. The sooner back in the Leaf the better." Genma left no room for arguments and both Radio and Shizune began to walk toward the others. Genma could still hear Ino crying, begging for this to just be some sick nightmare she was going to wake up from. He could hear Yamato's and Sai's soft words to Naruto as they help him stand. He could hear Sasuke's protest of not going anywhere, and Neji telling him they need to leave. Then he heard nothing, blocking out all the noise as he focused on his childhood friend and his jounin partner.

Kakashi wasn't screaming, not yet, but he was close to it. Silent sobs shock his frame, as he continued to press Sakura as close to his chest as possible. He just kept repeating apologizes to her. When Genma took another step toward him, his eyes shot up and locked with Genma, just as he had done with Radio. But he remained still as Genma crouched in front of them. Genma's features where twisted in pain, Kakashi could easily see the hurt in his eyes.

So, when Genma gently placed his free hand on Kakashi's arm, he didn't fight back. "She wouldn't want them to see her like this." Genma stated barely able to say those words without a sob ripping through him. Kakashi nodded, and loosened his hold around her, just enough for Genma to wrap the cloak around her. Covering everything but her face. Genma softly wiped away Kakashi's teardrops that had landed on her face. "I'm so sorry Sakura-chan." He apologized lightly stroking her cheek. "I'm so so sorry."

The two males stayed like that for several minutes before Genma was able to talk Kakashi into leaving. As they walked away, leaving the bloodstained flowers behind, Kakashi felt apart of himself die with her.

The copycat ninja would never be the same again.

When the pain died down, anger would replace it, and he would be being willing to burn the whole world down if it meant he was able to kill the people responsible for this.

* * *

Jiraiya found Tsunade twenty minutes after the message came.

She had gone to their old training ground and had completely destroyed it.

Massive craters littered the filed. Trees were uprooted and scattered all over.

Then there was Tsunade sitting on the ground, her head buried in her knees. Her normal green robe torn in several places. She gave no acknowledgment to his presence, but he knew she knew he was there. He said nothing as he walked toward her, feeling her charka dangerously coil around her as her emotions got the better on her. He said nothing as he sat behind her and wrapped his body around hers. Protectively. Trying to shield her from the pain she was feeling.

Jiraiya had been there when Nawaki had died, and then with Dan. He had been with her the night Orochimaru deserted the village. Jiraiya had seen her off when she left. He would be here this time to. He wasn't going anywhere. No matter what he had learned, no matter if one day Tsunade would understand if she ever learned the truth, he would be there for her. Sakura died protecting the village, protecting his godson and his love. He wasn't going to waste the sacrifice she made. No one was going to lay one finger on his family.

"I'm sorry" was the only words he could find to say. Tsunade said nothing, just continued to cry. Jiraiya knew there was no real comfort he could bring her. When Minato had passed it had almost destroyed him. It had left him so broken he had abandoned his godson when Naruto needed Jiraiya the most. But Jiraiya couldn't look at Naruto and not burst into tears. So, he simply didn't, fleeing the village, trying to run away from the pain.

They sat in silence for a couple hours. Away from prying eyes, allowing Tsunade a moment to grieve her loss before she had to face her people. All eyes would be looking at her and she had no idea what she was going to do. The anbu had turned up nothing. Sakura's mission history showed nothing of interest. No village had claimed any responsibility. No group claiming victory.

She was no closer to finding who had done this than the night Sakura was taken. Only her note saying not to trust anyone had been found. Leading Tsunade to believe someone inside the village had betrayed the Leaf. What was she going to tell her people? How was she going to keep it together giving orders? What if her emotions caused an error and their defense was weakened or the village appeared to be weak? What if the anbu team she sent out to search the surrounding area of where she was found, finds nothing? Then what?

"We will find who is responsible for this Tsunade" Jiraiya commented feeling the shift in her charka. "Who ever was responsible for this, there will be nothing left of them." He said squeezing her tighter. "But for now, don't focus on that. Grieve the loss of your daughter. Everything else can wait."

Tsunade didn't need to be hold twice as she finally turned and buried her face into his chest.

* * *

Sai had managed to produce enough birds to safety transport them back to the village. Since this time, they were no longer trying to find a trail or track anything, they were able to take the most direct route, making the trip about twelve hours. When they were about three hours from the village, they were notified that a team was waiting for them a mile into the tree lines from the main gate. The Hokage did not want anyone to see the state Sakura had been left in. There would be a retrieval team waiting with equipment to bring her back into the village.

The closer they got to the village the more and more Kakashi's heart twisted in pain. He had refused to put her down. Kakashi had continued to hold onto her, even after Genma and Neji both offered. How could he? Once she was no longer in his arms, he would never be able to touch her again. He would never see her face or feel her soft skin against him. The damn idiot should have acted on his feeling's months ago. He had wasted so much time.

What would have happened if he had been open about his feeling for her? Would Sakura have opened up and told him what was going on? Would she have trusted him enough to share who was after her or why? Would she had gone off into battle thinking that was the only way to protect the village?

Kakashi had been so lost in thought, he hadn't even realized the birds were landing until they were already on the forest floor. The sun was still hidden behind the clouds, the air still cool from the night before. His internal clock telling him it was around four in the morning, yet he could feel the buzz radiating off the village. His sandals hit the ground and a wave of nausea hits him at full force. He feels like he is going to throw up. Like he is going to start hyperventilating. He wants nothing more than to run, to flee, to get as far away from everyone as he can. But he can't. He won't. She still needed him.

"Hokage-sama" Kakashi acknowledges as Tsunade walks toward him. Her eyes glazing over as she looks at the girl in his arms. "Sh-she was already gone when we found her," he says, his voice only wavering once.

"She's home" was her only answer before she motioned for the others behind her to begin.

Two senior medics begin laying out the black body bag that is customary for these types of things. Ibiki steps out of the shadows and makes his way toward them. He could hear Naruto begin to cry but he doesn't dare turn to look at him. Team seven was broken. If Kakashi couldn't hold it together himself, what help could he be to his team? How had Minato ever looked us in the eyes after what happened to Obito? A hand falls on his shoulder and gives him a reassuring squeeze.

"Kakashi its time" Jiraiya says softly.

Ibiki stands in front of them, his eyes soft. His standard glare, gone. His shoulders were limp, his posture imperfect. The once unmovable man seemed remarkably human in this moment. With a gentleness no one had ever seen from this man, he gently shifted Sakura out of Kakashi's arms and into his. His eyes closing for a brief moment, as if he was saying a silent prayer before he turned and walked to the bag on the stretcher. Sakura is in his arms less than a minute before she is placed on the stretcher and covered. A lack sheet with the leaf symbol painted in red covers her. Ibiki stands and looks at the group, searching for the four that would carry her one last time into the village.

Shikamaru and Neji quickly step forward, then Genma. The rest in the clearing turn to Kakashi, but he can't breathe, let alone talk. His eyes seek Naruto's, giving a silent permission for the blonde to take his place. Kakashi had been the last one in their group to touch her, it was only fair Naruto had the chance to have sort of connection to her as well. Naruto takes a minute to try and dry his eyes before he takes his position behind Genma.

With Sakura no longer in his arms he suddenly felt very cold, as if any moment of heat or drop energy he had vanished. His knees threatened to bulk as they took their first step toward the village. Yamato was quick to his side, allowing Kakashi to be sandwich between two old friends.

* * *

" _Just shut up for once! What the hell do you know about it?! It's not like you ever had a family in the first place! You were on your own right from the beginning, what makes you think you know anything about that? Huh?! I'm suffering now because I had those ties! How on earth could you possibly understand what it feels like to lose all that?!"_

Maybe Sasuke had been right about breaking his bonds with people, because right now it hurt, it hurt so fucking bad.

Sakura Haruno had started off as a crush. Only later to become his teammate then one of his first friends. Even becoming one of his best friends. Somewhere along the way she had become a sister to him. He had never had a family, but family didn't just mean by blood. Sakura had taken multiple hits for him. She cooked for him when he didn't feel good. She took his temperature and got him medication when he was sick. Sakura healed him after fights. She was always there to knock since into him when needed and was a buffer between Tsunade and him. They had always joke when she became in charge of the hospital and he was Hokage, there would be no stopping Konohagakure.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

She wasn't supposed to be killed…not like that. Sakura had always seemed indestructible. Her medical abilities were known throughout the seven nations. No hit was deadly when she was around. Sasori stabbed her through the chest and she was able to heal the wound with the sword still in her body. Naruto had heard enough stories about Sakura being able to bring back the dead. Shinobi who should have died, and some who even did on her table, still carried out missions in the name of the leaf. Even if Naruto did sometimes forget what a remarkable medic Sakura was, her other skills didn't make her an easy target. Her monster strength and inhuman ability to control her charka put her legends above others in her own age group.

Then there was the fact Sakura had them. Team Seven. There shouldn't have been a force on this Earth that was able to touch her if they were around. Yet the original members of team seven had been present on the training field when she was taken. They had pushed to be apart of the rescue team. But they had been unable to protect her…

Fresh tears were already forming when he heard Genma gasp. Naruto's head quickly shot up and the tears he had been fighting back poured down his face. They had reached the front gates, but Naruto hadn't expected the sight before him. Naruto turned his head to Tsunade walking behind them. "Granny what's going on?" Shikamaru, Neji and Genma turned to her as well looking for instructions.

"Just continue to walk slowly to the hospital. This is something the villagers wanted to do." She explained, giving no further instructions.

At the opening of the gate there stood the rest of the Konoha 13, each of them holding a white rose in their hands. Kiba had a hand around Hinata who was crying as her eyes meet Neji's then his own. Rock Lee's eyes were bloodshot and stood silent as his eyes remained on the stretcher as they neared. TennTenn stood next to him, her own eyes downcast. Choji stood next to his own father, desperately trying to keep it together, but the second he saw Ino he lost it.

As they walked through the gates, their friends stepped forward and place their flowers on top of her. Naruto had to keep his focused glued to Genma's back. His grip around the handle tightening as he tried to gain composure. Naruto had never seen something like this. He could see a line of people, shinobi and civilian, formed in a line on either side of the street.

The next group of people Naruto recognized where the clan heads standing together. The Akimichi, Nara, Yamanaka, Inuzuka, Hyuga, and Aburame clan leaders were present. As they passed them, they lowered their heads in prayer. All of their team senseis had gathered. Konohamaru was clenching onto Asuma's pant leg as they passed. Naruto recognized several of the Tokubestu jounin present as well. Chunin and genin were mixed among the civilians.

Time seemed to speed up and slow down all at once. Naruto could no longer tell one face from the next. Some many people had come out see her brought home. Many he recognized, many he didn't. How involved in the village had Sakura been? The trip from the gates to the hospital was only ten minutes at most. Yet it seemed as if it happened in seconds. When they finally arrived in front of the hospital time stilled. Every available doctor, nurse, intern, really anyone who had been inside the hospital now all stood in front of it.

As a medical team of four stepped forward. Genma must have known what they were meant to do because he stops walking, causing the others to do the same. "They are here to take her" Genma says quietly as he allows one of the men to take his place. One by one each boy is replaced by the doctors. Naruto is frozen in his spot, his eyes just glued to the white flowers.

The team walks forward and everyone before them bends to a bow.

They remain that way until they disappear behind the doors. Only then do they straighter and begin filing back inside.

"Shizune are you up-" Tsunade begins to ask her apprentice only to be cut off.

"Of course," Shizune answers and starts making her way toward the hospital doors not bothering to wait for clarification. Genma shoots passed Naruto, and quickly matches pace with Shizune. Naruto can do nothing as they disappear inside the hospital.

"I know how difficult this mission was and what you all have been through, but unfortunately this is a time sensitive matter. I need the team leaders in my office now for a basic debrief. The rest of you, go home. I expect your reports by tomorrow at four." Tsunade said nothing else, just disappeared in a cloud of smoke, along with Jiraiya and Ibiki.

Naruto felt so lost in that moment. What were they supposed to do now?

* * *

 **Author's note: I'm sorry this update has taken two months. I lost my grandmother halfway through April. I needed time before I could return to this story and write this.**

 **I know this chapter is short and slow. There is one more slow chapter, necessary for character development and story set up. I promise after the next chapter it really starts to pick up.**

 **Thank you to everyone who has left reviews. I really do enjoy reading them. It really helps me keep writing.**

 **Everyone stay safe.**


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